30 Kisses To Love
by StarryNight
Summary: Written for the LJ 30 Kisses community. A story of Shinji and Inui and their progression towards love...in 30 kisses.
1. Stolen

Stolen

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #1—"Look over here"

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters herein. I do not claim to own them, and I am not making any profit off of this. This is just fun in a fandom I enjoy. If you want to sue me for all I'm worth…please do! You're welcome to my student loans and other bills.

Rating: PG

I wrote this several months ago for the livejournal 30 Kisses community. I completed the claim back in April, and I am just now getting around to posting this elsewhere. Yes, I suck. So this is complete, I'm just not putting it all up at once. 30 chapters in one sitting is a bit much.

* * *

Shinji found himself with a rare free day, and he was having a hard time trying to decide what to do with himself. 

There was no tennis practice, and Kamio had to stay after class to make up some missing work. There was no one else Shinji really felt like spending time with, and while there was always the street courts if he wanted a game, Shinji just found himself not wanting to deal with the drama that usually played itself out there.

Wandering almost aimlessly, Shinji found that his feet had taken him to a small park by the street courts, closer to Seigaku territory than Fudomine. Shrugging and deciding that the location was as good as any, he staked out a spot in the sun and lay back on the grass.

Shinji's mind refused to be still, and as he stared at the sky and clouds, his thoughts ran in a thousand different directions. It was peaceful, Shinji thought. _But if it's so peaceful, why do I feel so tense? No one's around…I usually only feel this way when someone is staring at me…._

He realized then what was happening. Without moving, Shinji said, "I know you're watching me, so you might as well stop now. Don't know why you're watching me anyway, I'm not doing anything interesting, and I won't give any love notes to Tachibana-san or Kamio-kun, so if that's what you want, it's useless to stick around…."

Someone chuckled, and out of the corner of his eye, Shinji saw someone take a seat next to him. "You are definitely an interesting person, Ibu-kun," the person said.

Not having expected this turn of events, Shinji turned to look at the person in question. "Inui from Seigaku," he said tonelessly. "Why are you here? Are you that bored that you feel the need to watch someone do nothing?"

Inui chuckled again. "Nothing as simple as that." He nodded towards a tree that was in plain sight of Shinji's spot. "I was organizing my data when I saw you, and I was curious."

"Curious?" Shinji was confused; he thought it was pretty straightforward what he was doing. "I'm just laying here."

"No one 'just lays'," Inui countered, reaching into his bag and pulling out a notebook. "When Echizen-kun does this, he is thinking of his cat or tennis…with a 42 chance that he will fall asleep there. When Akutagawa form Hyotei does this, there is a 98 chance that he will immediately fall asleep, and when Mauri from Rikkai does this, there is a 64 chance that he will make cute shapes out of the clouds." Inui closed the notebook. "What were you doing?"

Shinji shrugged. "Just…thinking things."

"What kind of things? Inui pressed.

Shinji turned to stare at him. "You really are annoying. And rude. A person's thoughts belong to him and no one else."

"I don't mean to be rude," Inui protested, honestly not seeing himself as such. "You don't have to tell, if you don't want to."

Shinji was quiet for a minute. "I just think of…things. School. Tennis. If An-chan will ever choose Akira or Momoshiro. What it would be like to pursue someone. Dating. Kissing." He sat up, resigned to his quiet time being well and truly over. "Nothing special."

"Mmmm." Inui was barely repressing the urge to write as Shinji spoke, instead trying to commit as much as possible to memory. "Is there a girl you're thinking of pursuing?"

Shinji shook his head. "I don't find any girls interesting."

"A boy, then?" Inui wouldn't be surprised. A surprising majority of the junior high male tennis circuit exhibited homosexual or bisexual tendencies. He made a mental note to examine the connection between a sport that involved chasing balls and a desire to chase balls of an entirely different sort.

"I don't think so." Shinji gave the question some serious thought. "I find some of the boys _interesting,_ but that doesn't mean I'm _interested._ I don't think it does, anyway. Maybe it does. Hmmm…."

Inui was trying not to smile as he listened to Shinji. "I don't think you're alone." Inui tapped the notebook in his lap. "I find many of the boys interesting."

"For their tennis," Shinji pointed out. "For your data. Not interesting for the sake of being interested."

"I beg to differ." Inui adjusted his glasses as he smiled down at Shinji. "I find you quite interesting right now, for reasons that have little, if anything, to do with tennis."

Shinji fought down the urge to blush. "That's because I happened to be here when you were. You could be having this conversation with anyone else. Well, maybe not." Shinji bit his lip. "I'm sure there are plenty of people who would've walked away by now."

"And why haven't you walked away yet?"

Shinji shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I find you interesting."

That startled a full laugh out of Inui. "Ibu-kun, you are certainly worth getting to know better. Much better."

"Am I? Shinji thought for a minute about some of the things that Echizen and Momoshiro had said about the boy sitting next to him. "I'm not sure if that's something to be scared of or not."

"I'd feel better if you weren't." Switching mental tracks, Inui went back to something Shinji had said earlier. "You said you thought about kissing…have you ever been kissed, Ibu-kun?"

This time, Shinji _did_ blush, and he looked away. "I haven't dated, and I haven't been interested in anyone, or had anyone be interested in me. What do you think?" Embarrassed now, Shinji moved to stand and go.

Inui grabbed Shinji's arm, holding him back. "Please don't go. I'm sorry." Shinji stilled, but still didn't look at Inui. "Ibu-kun…look at me? Please?"

When Shinji turned to acknowledge Inui's plea, Inui was unable to help himself. Leaning in, Inui pressed a kiss to Shinji's lips. He only gave himself a moment to wonder at how lips could be soft and firm at the same time before pulling back.

Shinji sat, frozen and blinking, trying to process just what had happened.

Inui smiled. "You can't say you haven't been kissed now." Knowing when to make a strategic retreat, Inui stood. "I hope to have a chance to repeat the experience…and the conversation. Until we meet again, Ibu-kun." Inui walked away, already planning their next encounter.

Shinji watched Inui go, then, still in a daze, slowly lay back down to stare at the sky. He had a lot more to think about now.

--The End--


	2. Frequencies

Frequencies

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #17—kHz

Disclaimer: All disclaimers are in chapter 1.

Rating: PG

* * *

Inui sat at his desk, inputting the day's data into his computer, and wondering how two people could be so similar, and yet be on two completely different wavelengths.

He stared consideringly at the information he had collected on Ibu Shinji that afternoon. Inui thought that, really, they were a lot alike in many respects. Their love for tennis, their grades—it hadn't been hard for Inui to discover that Ibu was at the top of his class, with an intellect to rival Fuji's or his own—and the fact that, to all appearances, their minds never stopped.

Beyond that, though, they were like the difference between kilohertz and megahertz.

Inui's mind was ordered, logical, factual. He made observations, drew connections, hypothesized, and then tested his theory. His data was a reflection of an ordered and structured personality. He was the epitome of a scientist, everything flowing from one ordered conclusion to another.

Ibu, on the other hand, was chaos personified. If his thoughts had any logical connection, it was by pure chance more often than not. His mind jumped from one topic to another as easily as someone would switch dials on a radio, and one never knew which "station" Ibu would land on next. If Inui was a logical scientist, Ibu was an absent-minded professor.

Kilohertz and megahertz.

Everything screamed that Ibu would be bad for Inui. Their personality differences represented a wide gulf that would be hard, if not impossible, to bridge. Inui knew that…so why was he considering trying it anyway? Why did he find Ibu so compelling?

Kilohertz and megahertz.

Maybe, Inui reflected as he shut down his computer and prepared for bed, it was b because /b they were different. Maybe he was so intrigued b because /b Ibu was a fresh perspective, a way of working with and viewing the world that he had never bothered to explore. Maybe Inui knew, somewhere in him, that he'd be bored by someone too similar to him.

Maybe kilohertz was always striving to reach megahertz.

As Inui closed his eyes, he replayed that kiss in his mind. He re-experienced the feel of Ibu's lips against his own, the way the other boy had tasted just slightly of oranges, the way Ibu's face had reflected surprise, but not disgust or anger.

Inui realized that he wanted to do that again, kiss Ibu. Preferably, with Ibu responding favorably and kissing him back. He wanted to see Ibu again, talk to him and just…know him better. For reasons that, for once, had nothing to do with data.

Kilohertz and megahertz. They really weren't all that different after all. Maybe they could coexist.

And so maybe could he and Ibu.

--The End--


	3. Perspective

Perspective

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #4—our distance and that person

Disclaimer: All disclaimers are in chapter 1

Rating: PG

* * *

It was never hard for Kamio to tell when something was bothering Shinji. Unlike most people, who tended to babble and distract easily when upset, Shinji became extremely focused…and silent.

It was the silence that Kamio found particularly disconcerting. Shinji, as a general rule, was _never_ silent. Quiet, yes, but they were two different things altogether.

The worst of it was that Kamio had no idea as to what had shaken his best friend so much. Their routine hadn't varied in the least…except for yesterday, when he had had to stay behind at school. With a flash of realization, Kamio saw that whatever had happened, it had happened then…and he had no idea what it was

The thing that bothered Kamio the most was that Shinji wasn't talking to him about it. Normally, he and Shinji shared _everything_. It…hurt, to think that his best friend was hiding something from him.

But Kamio also knew that, left to his own devices, Shinji would brood for days and not think to talk about it…so it was up to him to drag it out of Shinji.

Accordingly, when the lunch bell rang, Kamio steered Shinji to the roof, jammed the door so they wouldn't be interrupted, and sat Shinji down. "All right…talk to me."

Shinji blinked, looking up at Kamio, who had yet to take a seat. "Talk about what?"

"Talk about whatever's upset you so badly." Kamio slid down next to Shinji. "You left school yesterday and you were fine. Now…you're not. What happened to change that?"

Shinji hesitated, picking at his bento. "Akira…what does An-chan mean to you?"

Kamio was taken aback by the question. "She's…special." Kamio blushed. "Not like you. Different…she makes me…warm inside." He blinked. "Why?"

"How did you know she was so special?" Shinji asked, ignoring Kamio's question. "What made you decide that you wanted her?"

"I—I don't know," Kamio stuttered. "I just…_did_. Why do you want to know—" Understanding dawned. "You met someone, didn't you?"

"I may have…I don't know." Shinji sighed. "I don't know if it's real, or just because of circumstance." He paused. "They're so far beyond me…."

"Don't think like that!" Kamio shook his head. "No one is too good for you. So…tell me about her?"

Shinji flushed. "It…isn't a her…."

"A guy then…all right." Kamio nodded slowly, processing this. "What's he like? Does he go here?"

Shinji shook his head. "He goes to Seigaku. He's smart…he's tall and dark. But not handsome. That would be cliché. He's…observant. And bold." Shinji touched his lips, remembering. "He kissed me…."

Kamio smiled at the returning of the normal Shinji, but then stared at him, stunned. "_Kiss_! Without asking or anything?"

"No…but I don't think I minded…."

Kamio blinked as Shinji's eyes began to glaze over. "You've got it bad…." A thought occurred to him. "You said he's from Seigaku…who is he?"

Shinji blushed a little. "He's a year older…on the tennis team…."

Kamio considered the options. "Tezuka…no, he wouldn't know impulsiveness if it came up and bit him. Ummmm…everyone knows Kikumaru and Oishi are dating…that leaves Kawamura—no, he's got that thing with the delinquent from Yamabuki, I heard from Sengoku—so that leaves Fuji or Inui." Kamio sat back and grinned. "My money's on Fuji—I think he'd be the type to pull a stunt like that."

Shinji shook his head slowly. "It was Inui." He smiled. "It was nice, actually…I didn't think he could be nice, but he was."

Kamio just stared, trying to process that. "Wait. You're trying to tell me that this guy, the same one that Momoshiro keeps branding as a sadist in the extreme, is b nice /b ?"

Shinji nodded. "And he's a good kisser, too. Well, I think he is. I don't have anyone to compare him with." He glanced at Kamio consideringly.

"Oh no!" Kamio threw his hands up. "I am _not _kissing you!"

"And I don't want you to." Shinji shuddered. "That would just be wrong. Like kissing a brother, or something else wrong."

Kamio had a moment where he wasn't sure if he should be insulted or not. "So…why were you looking at me, then?"

"I don't know…have you kissed An-chan at all?"

Kamio's blush rivaled his hair in color. "Ummm…well, don't tell Taichibana-san…."

That was enough of an answer for Shinji. "How did it make you feel, Akira?"

Kamio took a moment to seriously consider the question. "It made me feel…like I was floating," he responded slowly. "Happy, you know, but almost like a dream. One that I didn't want to wake up from."

Shinji nodded as he listened. "I don't know if it was all that for me, but it was over so fast, so I don't know."

"Did you like it?"

"After the fact? Yes, I did." Shinji blushed softly.

"So…what are you going to do now?" Kamio asked, curious.

"Do you think I should go back and see him again?" Shinji sounded honestly confused.

"I really don't know." Kamio bit his lip as he thought. "He's a year older than you, he goes to a different school…his interests are so different from yours, Shinji. There's so much distance between the two of you, and he'll be moving on to high school soon…then what?" Kamio shook his head. "Is Inui worth all of that?"

Shinji closed his eyes, thinking back to their encounter. "I don't know…but I think I want to find out, Akira." He looked down at his hands. "It may sound crazy, but I think if I b don't /b give this a chance…I'll never forgive myself. He may be out of my reach…he may be too distant, but I have to try. I _need_ to."

Kamio sighed in his head, but showed a smile to his best friend. "Then go for it. If you think he's worth bridging that distance, then that's enough for me."

"Thank you, Akira." Shinji looked truly happy to hear that, and for Kamio, that was enough to assuage many of his doubts.

"Then let's finish lunch. And this afternoon, you track Inui down and demand that chance." Kamio turned his attention to his lunch.

Shinji looked down at his food and smiled. To him, Inui was a very interesting person, and promised to be well worth the effort it might take to get close to him.

--The End--


	4. Progress

Progress

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #12. in a good mood

Disclaimer: All disclaimers in chapter 1

Rating: PG-13

* * *

It had been a good day, really. Shinji was hard pressed to remember just when the last time that he had such a good day was. He had aced a test, performed far above his own expectations in tennis practice, and it was a beautiful day…just the type for laying in daydreaming in a park, actually.

Shinji did his best to convince himself that that was the _only_ reason for heading towards the park where he had had his first encounter with Inui. It was too nice a day to be cooped up, and that was it. It had _nothing _to do with the fact that he might possibly see Inui there again.

It also had nothing to do with the fact that Kamio had bodily steered him to the park and abandoned him there with nothing more than a wink and a smile. Oh, no, those were entirely incidental to his presence there.

Even though Shinji tried to tell himself that, he couldn't help turning every time he caught a glimpse of dark hair or glasses out of the corner of his eye. And every time the person _wasn't_ Inui, Shinji felt his heart sink a little more, and some of the brightness of the day faded away for him. He tried to tell himself that he was being silly, that his mood shouldn't be dependant on someone that he'd exchanged a few words and a stolen kiss with, but Shinji's heart was ignoring his brain, and Shinji was almost ready to scream with the strain of it all.

Afternoon faded into dusk, then twilight. As Shinji watched the darkening sky, he finally admitted to himself that Inui was not, in fact, going to show. "I don't know why I'm upset," he muttered to himself. "It's not like we had plans or anything. He just said that he'd _like_ to see me here again, not that he would. I'm sure he has better things to worry about and take care of than coming to this stupid place."

Shinji leveled a glare at the fading light. "I might as well leave," he sighed as he stood and brushed off his pants. "Sitting here all night will do nothing but get me sick, and if I get sick, I can't go to school, or play tennis…." Still mumbling to himself, Shinji made his way to the exit closest to his home.

"Wait!" Shinji froze as he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Don't leave yet, Ibu-kun!"

Shinji turned slowly to see Inui running towards him, stopping when he drew up next to Inui. "I meant to be here earlier," Inui said, looking down some at Shinji. "But Tezuka wanted to discuss some things after practice, and I couldn't get away." He smiled. "I'm glad to see you're still here, Ibu-kun."

"Well, don't think it was for _you_ or anything." Shinji looked away from Inui, his smile making him feel weak for some reason. "It was just a nice day, that's all, and it was too nice to be home. But it's getting dark now, and I should go home…." As he spoke, Shinji started to edge away from Inui some.

"Wait." Inui reached out and grasped Shinji's arm, holding him there. "You may not have come here to see me…but I most definitely came here to see you."

"You…you did?" Shinji blinked, feeling shocked…and warm inside.

Inui nodded. "I ran here, hoping you'd be here. I figured there would only be a 42 chance you'd still be here, considering the hour. I'm glad I was wrong."

Shinji shook his head. "I just lost track of time, that's all. Nothing special."

"So…you didn't want to see me?" Inui wasn't quite able to contain his disappointment.

"I…." Shinji hesitated. He knew he had a choice. He could be coy and possibly miss out on something great, or he could be honest and see what would happen. He studied Inui for a minute, then made his choice. "I did want to see you," he admitted. "I was hoping you would come, but then you didn't…." He stopped before he could say too much.

"I was hoping you would say that." Inui ran a hand through Shinji's hair as he moved a little closer.

"Hoping?" Shinji was hoping that it was dark enough to hide the blush that had appeared at Inui's actions. "You mean, you didn't have a prediction as to the likelihood of that happening?"

Shinji was teasing, but Inui took him seriously as he responded, "There are some things that data just is not good for." Inui's hand left Shinji's hair and trailed down his cheek. "Ibu-kun?"

"Yes, Inui-san?"

"I would very much like to kiss you right now."

"Would you?"

"If you will let me, Ibu-kun."

"I…think I would like that, Inui-san."

Inui's smile was almost blinding as he leaned down some to touch his lips to Shinji's. Shinji, knowing it was coming this time, reached up to hold onto Inui's shoulder as he returned the pressure, relaxing into the arm that Inui wound around Shinji's waist.

The two of them stood locked in the kiss for a minute, neither making a move to deepen it. Shinji's grip on Inui tightened some as he felt his knees grow weak, and he felt Inui pull him closer as they slowly parted their lips, both a little breathless. Keeping his arm around Shinji, Inui ran his other hand through Shinji's hair, thinking that he was getting rather addicted to the feeling.

Shinji leaned into the caress. "I…I think I like kissing you, Inui-san," he said quietly, almost inaudibly.

"Then I shall have to kiss you more often," Inui promised, not sounding at all pout out over the prospect. "Maybe…after a proper date?" He tried not to hold his breath, as his mind reminded him that there was still a 27 chance that Shinji would refuse him.

"I would like that very much, Inui-san." Shinji's head rested on Inui's shoulder briefly, before reluctantly pulling away from him. "I have to get home," he explained. "It's dark."

"So it is." Inui hadn't noticed; he was still seeing fireworks from the kiss. "Do…you need me to walk you home?" He was oddly reluctant to let Shinji out of his sight.

Shinji shook his head, also feeling bad about leaving Inui. "You'd get lost; my neighborhood is a maze. Maybe when it's light sometime."

"At least give me your phone number?" Inui grabbed for his ever-present notebook. "I want to call you later."

Blushing a little, Shinji took the offered pen and paper and wrote down his number for Inui. "Now I really do have to go."

Inui grabbed Shinji's hand and kissed it quickly. "Be careful?"

"Always. Be careful, too." Smiling at Inui, Shinji turned and started for the park exit again, his step lighter than it had been before, a smile spread across his face. His mood had never been happier in his entire life.

It had been an awesome day.

--The End--


	5. Talking

Talking

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #24. good night

Disclaimer: Disclaimer in part 1

Rating: PG

* * *

Inui stared at the phone in his hand as if daring it to do something. Occasionally, he would transfer his stare to a slip of paper beside him. Both the phone and the paper didn't seem inclined to respond to him, though. 

Collapsing back on his bed, Inui sighed. _This should not be hard. I dial the number and hit "send". I've been doing this for years. Why am I failing at this now?_ He took a moment to examine himself. _My pulse has increased by 20, and my respiration by 15. My palms are emitting 63 more perspiration than they should be when I am at rest. Conclusion: I am nervous. And hoping the phone will dial itself will **not** do anything to solve that problem. _

Sitting up, Inui resolutely punched in the numbers on the paper, then stared at the screen. "Wait…that's not right…." Clearing the number with a sigh, Inui a little more deliberately dialed the right number…only to have the phone slip out of his hand when he tried to press "send".

"This is…preposterous," Inui muttered as he bent to retrieve the phone from the floor. "I know I have not lost my ability to dial a phone…." Putting his phone on the bed for a moment, Inui rubbed his hands on his pants, drying them off some, before hitting send.

He listened to the phone ring a few times before he heard the click of someone answering. "Hello?" The voice on the other end was soft, like Shinji's but…distinctly feminine.

Inui's jaw dropped in shock. He had somehow been expecting to have received Shinji's cell number, not the main house line.

"Hello?" the voice asked again, sounding confused.

Inui shook himself, pulling his mind back together. "Ah, yes, hello. Is Ibu Shinji home?"

"Just one moment, please." Inui heard the sounds of the receiver being covered, then "Shin-chan, phone!"

Inui grinned, filing that nickname away for a more appropriate time, listening as he heard the beep of an extension being turned on. "I have it, Mama…hello?"

The sound of Shinji's voice somehow made Inui's battle with the phone worthwhile, and he lay back on his bed again, considerably more relaxed. "Hello, Ibu-kun."

"Inui-san!" Inui heard Shinji fumble, then the faint sound of bedsprings squeaking. "I…hello."

"I told you I was going to call you tonight."

"I…I know you did, Inui-san."

Inui heard the surprise and tension in Shinji's voice, and calculated a 58 chance that Shinji hadn't completely believed him, and decided honesty would be the best way to defuse Shinji. "I wanted to hear your voice again."

"You did?" Inui noted that the surprise had increased by 13. "That's funny…most people want me to shut up."

"I'm not like most people."

"Well, I knew that much already." There was laughter in Shinji's voice now, and Inui was glad to hear it; it meant he was relaxing. "I think I can safely say that I don't know anyone else quite like you, Inui-san."

"I can say the same about you, Ibu-kun. You are definitely a unique person."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Because I've been called that before, and it wasn't meant in the most flattering way, and I really don't like being insulted, though I doubt a lot of people do, but I could be wrong…."

"Ibu-kun." Inui cut into Shinji's ramble. "Do you think I would kiss someone I had negative feelings for?"

"…no?" Shinji sighed softly, and Inui thought it was one of the more enticing sounds he had heard in a long time. "Inui-san…what do you want from me? I mean, why did you even notice me?"

"I only want a chance to get to know you better. To take you on dates, to kiss you some more—a lot more, actually." He blushed a little, glad that Shinji couldn't see it. "Hopefully, to even form a long-term relationship with you. As to why I noticed you…." Inui paused to think and put his words in order. "You're smart, talented, and handsome. You're different from everyone else, and I like that."

"Oh…I see…." Inui was willing to bet money that there was a 97 chance or higher that Shinji was bright red right now. "I think…that's the nicest thing that anyone's ever said to me, Inui-san."

"I'd like to kiss you right now, Ibu-kun."

Inui b heard /b Shinji fumble the phone, and listened as it dropped to the floor. There were some sounds of a scramble, and then Shinji's slightly breathless voice was back on the line. "I'm sorry, Inui-san…."

"It's all right. I was serious, though. I would like to be kissing you again."

"I…that would be very…nice." Shinji's voice gained some strength. "And why should I give my lips again before a proper date?"

Inui laughed. "No reason at all. If you want a date, you'll get one. Would you care to go out with me Saturday night? Say, dinner and a movie?"

"That sounds nice, Inui-san. I accept your date." Inui listed to Shinji shift.

"I'll pick you up at your place…but I don't know where you live. So I guess I'll have to meet you somewhere to walk you home, so I'll know that piece of data." Inui was grinning as he spoke.

"You're incorrigible." Shinji laughed. "I'll meet you in the same place tomorrow. Try to get there before dark, because I think I may have other things to do than wait in the dark for you."

It was Inui's turn to laugh. "Point taken…I'll meet you at 4:30. Is that good for you?"

Inui listened as paper rustled on Shinji's side of the phone. "Make it 5? Practice ends at 4:15 tomorrow, and I would like to shower and change first."

Inui nodded, making a mental note of it. "I'll be there." He glanced at the clock. "I…should probably let you go now, shouldn't I?"

"Probably." Shinji sighed. "Inui-san? I'm glad you called me. I was almost expecting to be blown off or forgotten or something like that."

"Never. I don't do things like that." Inui resisted the urge to prolong the conversation some. "Well…good night, Ibu-kun."

"Good night, Inui-san." Shinji's voice had gone soft and breathy again, and Inui's own breath quickened a little, wondering if Shinji would sound like that after an extended session of kissing.

"Sweet dreams, Ibu-kun…I'll see you tomorrow."

"Same to you…I'll be looking forward to it, Inui-san." Before Inui could reply to that, Inui head a beep, then the dial tone, indicating that Shinji had hung up.

Suppressing a sigh, Inui put his phone on the charger and slowly prepared for bed, as if in a daze. Once under the blankets, he looked up at the ceiling, only seeing dark eyes and soft hair. "Good night…Shinji."

--The End--


	6. Homeward

Homeward

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #20. the road home

Disclaimer: Disclaimer on part 1

Rating: PG

* * *

Shinji glanced at his watch, groaning a little as he tried to hurry his dressing a little more. He was supposed to meet Inui at 5, and it was almost 5 now…. _Why did practice have to go over **today**? Why did Ishida have to choose today of all days to get mouthy with Taichibana-san?_ He was so focused on getting his shoes tied that he didn't notice Kamio sneaking up on him.

"Shinji!" Kamio plopped down on the bench next to his startled best friend. "Did you talk to him? What happened? What did he say?"

Shinji suppressed a sigh as he looked at Kamio. "You seem hyper today, Akira. Didn't the laps wear you out? I don't know why we were all punished because of Ishida. That doesn't seem fair to me at all…."

"Shinji! You're missing the point!" Kamio bounced a little next to him. "What _happened_?"

"We met…and talked…and we're going out Saturday." Shinji stood and grabbed his bags. "And I'm supposed to meet him today, and I'm already running late." He looked at his watch again and groaned. "5 minutes…I'll never make it in time."

"I'll walk with you." Kamio hopped up next to him. "It'll seem like you're going faster. Besides," Kamio's smile became a little more predatory, "I think I want a word with him, myself."

"You—what?" Shinji stared at his friend, but kept walking. "What on Earth could you want to talk to him about?"

"Oh, you know. Tennis, the state of the nation, upcoming tournaments…his intentions towards you." Kamio grinned.

Shinji turned bright red. "Akira! I really do not think that's necessary. It's not like he's asking for my hand in marriage or something like that. It's much too soon, for one."

"So…are you saying you'd _like_ to marry him someday?"

Shinji sputtered. "Just quit it Akira! It's not like that at all."

Kamio was so caught up in teasing Shinji, and Shinji in deflecting Kamio, that neither of them noticed that they hand entered the park and that Inui was approaching them. Inui just watched the banter for a minute before he spoke up. "Ah, Ibu-kun? I didn't realize that you were intending to turn this thing we have into a threesome."

Shinji froze. "Inui-san! It's not like that at all!" His blush, which had been fading, came back in full force. "Akira just doesn't know when he's not wanted." Shinji glared at his friend.

Kamio didn't notice, having turned his full attention to Inui once he made himself known. "Are _you_ into threesomes?" Kamio asked him, looking Inui up and down.

Inui flinched a little at the muted hostility that Kamio was radiating. "No! Not at all…I was just joking…."

Kamio snorted. "I don't know if you realize this or not, but Shinji is a very special person. Too special to be treated like a joke. If all you're looking for is some amusement, then I advise you to move on. Now." Kamio crossed his arms, glaring, at Inui, and Inui suddenly remembered what they said about redheads and tempers.

Shinji, embarrassed beyond belief, grabbed Kamio's arm. "Akira, stop it! You don't need to do this, you know. I _can_ take care of myself, believe it or not."

"No, it's all right, Ibu-kun." Inui shook his head. "I cannot honestly say where this relationship will end up, but I know that this is more than a game to me. I would very much like to get to know Ibu-kun better and see where this leads us."

Kamio studied Inui carefully, ignoring Shinji's protests. "Fine," he said finally. "You can have a shot at this, but if you _ever_ hurt Shinji in any way, I _will_ make you regret it."

Inui nodded. "I understand completely. Ibu-kun is lucky to have a friend like you."

Kamio smiled a little. "Yeah, well." He looked over at Shinji. "And now I think I'm intruding."

"Like you weren't from the beginning?" Shinji's voice had no heat in it, though, as he scolded Kamio. "Don't you have something else to do right now, like stalk An-chan, or fight with Momoshiro or something?"

"Come to think of it," Inui interjected, "I _did_ see Taichibana's little sister over at the street courts with Echizen and Momoshiro…."

"What!?" It was Kamio's turn to squawk. "Sorry, Shinji, but I think you can get on without me now…." He took off for the street courts without even looking back.

Shinji looked at Inui consideringly. "I hope you were telling the truth about that, Inui-san."

"Oh, I was. The fact that my mentioning it meant a 97 chance that Kamio would leave was just a benefit for me." He smiled at Shinji. "I am prepared to escort you home now."

Shinji blushed a little. "I don't _need_ an escort, you know."

"I know. This is simply so I can find your house to pick you up tomorrow." He looked around. "You will have to lead the way, Ibu-kun, as I do not have that data yet."

Shaking his head, Shinji started walking. "Is there anything that data isn't good for?"

"Only two things that I've noticed so far. Predicting my teammates…and predicting you."

"Predicting me?" Shinji looked over at him. "I would think that your data would be accurate on me. Everyone else seems to find me predictable. Or, at least, that's what they tell me."

"But you are anything but." Inui grinned. "Certain things, yes, but your reactions to being teased, or kissed…I never know. I find that…." Inui groped for a word. "Refreshing."

"You know, people by their very natures are unpredictable," Shinji pointed out. "You can never truly _know_ how someone will react to something. You can make a guess based on previous experience, but there is still room for variables. I think all your data is in the end is a fancy way of saying that you're guessing at an outcome. Some guesses are more accurate than others because you have more information or experience, but in the end, it's still guessing."

Inui shook his head. "You are amazing, Ibu-kun. Almost everyone else I know is put off by my data. I have never heard anyone treat it so lightly before…except for Echizen, but he's…unique." He looked down at Shinji. "You're not at all intimidated by it, are you?"

Shinji shrugged. "Why should I be? It's just numbers after all. Nothing truly frightening there."

Inui laughed. "I suppose that is one way of putting it."

"We'll have to play a match sometime and see what happens. As of now…what does your data say about the outcome of that?"

Inui gave it a moment's thought. "As of right now…considering I haven't really observed your play since the city tournament, I would say that there is a 41 chance that you would beat me, dropping to 31 if I manage to seal your Spot technique early on. That's in a singles match, of course. The variables increase considerably in doubles, dependant on who we are paired with."

"I'm not sure if I should be insulted by those figures or not." Shinji was smiling, though. "And if we were paired together?"

Inui grinned. "100 success rate."

"Of course." Shinji laughed.

"You have a very nice laugh. You should do it more often."

He immediately fell silent, blushing again.

Inui picked up on this quickly. "You're not used to praise are you, Ibu-kun?"

"Not outside the classroom or tennis court, no." Shinji shook his head. "If you were to praise, say, my English grade, or my footwork during training, that's nothing. But…about something personal…." He sighed. "I know I'm not what anyone would consider "normal". Most of the time it's 'Shinji, shut up,' or 'Ibu, keep your thoughts to yourself,' or 'You know, you should really change' whatever characteristic they're harping on at that moment." Shinji shrugged. "It's a fact of life." He came to a stop in front of a house. "This is it."

Inui didn't even glance at the house as he turned Shinji to face him. "Keep talking to me—you have a lovely voice. I want to hear your thoughts. And…there's nothing about you that you should change, not if you're happy. I like you the way you are."

Shinji tried to look down, but Inui wouldn't let him. "Ibu-kun, listen to me. I don't want to date someone else. I want to date _you_, and that means the you that you are right now."

"I…thank you, Inui-san." Shinji smiled. "That means a lot to me to hear."

"And another thing. You don't have to call me 'Inui-san', you know."

"I—inui, then."

Inui shook his head. "We'll work on names later. Right now…." He took a deep breath. "I would very much like to kiss you good night, like I couldn't last night."

Shinji gasped a little and unconsciously moved a little closer to Inui. He glanced over at his house out of reflex, and therefore caught a glimpse of the curtains moving. "I…I can't. I think at least one of my sisters is watching…."

"Sisters?"

"I have two, both younger than me. It's not that I'm ashamed, I just don't want to give them ideas, you see."

"I understand." Surreptitiously, Inui pulled open the zipper on his bag as he continued. "I have memorized the street signs and landmarks as we walked, so I am fairly confident that I can pick you up for our date tomorrow night at, say, seven?"

Shinji nodded. "Seven is fine."

"Then I'll leave you now." Smiling, Inui turned and "accidentally" hit his bag against the gate, causing everything to spill out of his bag. "Wonderful," he groaned, and dived down to start gathering things up. Inwardly, though, Inui was silently rooting for Shinji to take the bait.

"Inui! Let me help with that, please." Going to his knees, Shinji knelt beside Inui, reaching for some rolling pens. When Shinji was slightly off-balance, Inui grasped his wrist and pulled gently, making Shinji lean into him some.

"We're out of sight of the house now…." And with that, Inui placed his lips against Shinji's.

Shinji's eyes widened in surprise briefly before they fell shut, leaning into the kiss. He pressed into Inui, trying his best to return the kiss, and gasped a little when he felt one of Inui's arms go around his waist, the other still holding onto his wrist.

Inui took advantage of Shinji's slightly opened mouth, dipping his tongue between Shinji's lips and finding the taste to be to his liking. He slowly licked into Shinji's mouth, losing all track of his location, until Shinji's quiet moan and the sudden scraping of pavement against his knees brought him back to Earth. Slowly, reluctantly, Inui pulled away from Shinji, breaking the kiss with a last swipe of his tongue across Shinji's lips.

Shinji's eyes were glazed as he blinked at Inui, and he was slightly breathless. "I…." For once in his life, Shinji found himself without words.

Inui smiled and scooped the rest of his belongings into his bag, not caring about the mess. "Can I call you tonight?"

Shinji nodded, still a little dazed.

Seeing that, Inui stood, helping Shinji back to his feet as he did so. "Then I've leave you for now. I'll talk to you later, and I will see you tomorrow."

Shinji nodded again, finally finding his voice. "Be careful going…you sure you know the way?"

"Positive. I'll be fine. Now go inside." Inui smiled and, with one last lingering look at Shinji, walked away.

As he watched Inui leave, Shinji finally finished pulling himself together. Shaking his head, he let himself in the gate and headed towards his door. _Inui…he's so forward. But I don't mind. That was the best walk home I've ever had._

--The End--


	7. Thoughts

Thoughts

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #26. if only I could make you mine

Disclaimer: Disclaimer on part 1

Rating: PG

* * *

Inui hung up the phone and stared down at it. He had just spent a rather enjoyable hour on the phone with Shinji talking about nothing in particular…and he had enjoyed it.

It had started as a contest of sorts: Shinji challenged Inui to go a whole conversation without citing statistics or using the word "data". Inui, never one to back down, accepted the challenge, and what had followed was a rambling, nonsensical conversation about everything and nothing.

Sometimes, Inui just sat and listened to Shinji talk, at other times, he found that he was forced to defend himself, or make a point, and he did so with a passion that, Inui realized, he had rarely shown for anything else in his life, including tennis or his data.

During that time, his whole mind was focused on only one thing: Shinji. Nothing else occupied, or even crossed his mind; him, Inui, the one whose brain was _never_ processing less then three things at once.

In all, Inui had for the experience most…refreshing.

Laying back on his bed, Inui found himself thinking again of Shinji. He honestly did not see how Shinji could have possibly alone and unclaimed when Inui first noticed him. Were the students at Fudomine blind? Didn't they notice Shinji's intelligent mind, his athletic grace, his attractive features? Didn't they ever let their gazes fall to Shinji's mouth while he was talking and imagine stopping the flow of words with their own lips? And…did no one ever _listen_ to Shinji's voice? Inui knew that most people tended to associate Shinji with a monotone, and, when Shinji was muttering to himself, this was true. But when he was engaged in actual conversation, Shinji's voice remained soft, but took on a world of expression and emotion, with shades that Inui could only dream of conveying.

But no one had noticed…and so Shinji had been free. And now Inui…wanted nothing more than to make Shinji his for keeps.

Inui knew just what he wanted. He had a plan in mind, ideas that would see their relationship developing through what was left of the school year, and would keep it going even once Inui moved into high school. His mind was even filling with vague thoughts of college and beyond. At that particular moment—even knowing that much of his emotion was being fueled by infatuation—Inui knew that he wanted Shinji to be his.

But…did Shinji feel the same way?

As Inui thought about their talks, then laughter, their kisses, Inui felt fairly certain that, yes, Shinji did want to be his. But…Inui knew that he was Shinji's first; he had never dated, or kissed, or anything before Inui. What if someone else noticed Shinji, if Shinji discovered that his desires lay elsewhere? Then what would Inui do?

To Inui, Shinji was like…quicksilver, an elfin creature that was experienced in eluding the grasp of mortal hands. It was the only way that Inui could see how Shinji had been untouched and free for him. And, by some lucky circumstance or twist of fate, Inui had managed to capture Shinji, hold him in his arms, press his own lips to Shinji's and savor their sweet taste…but what if he disappeared? What if Shinji slipped out of his hold and moved on?

Inui knew what he wanted. He wanted Shinji to be his.

He just wished he knew if Shinji wanted the same thing.

--The End--


	8. It's A Date

It's a Date

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #8. our own world

Disclaimer: Disclaimer on part 1

Rating: PG-13

* * *

It was a very nervous Inui who knocked on Shinji's door, though one wouldn't be able to tell by looking at him. Inui looked as cool and composed as ever, the only difference about him from his normal meetings with Shinji being his wearing of casual clothes rather than a school uniform. Inui had had half a moment of debate about wearing that or not before he decided that he would look silly, wearing a school uniform out on a Saturday night. 

He had money, he was dressed as well as he could be, and he was eagerly anticipating spending an evening in Shinji's company. Now all he needed was for the door to open, and Inui resisted the urge to fidget as he heard footsteps approach the door.

The door cracked open, and Inui looked down, further than he had thought he would have to, to see a young girl of about seven or eight looking back up at him. Her face was like a feminine version of Shinji's though the eyes were different and her hair was pure black, with none of the highlights that Shinji's had. She gazed up at Inui, clearly confused. "Do we know you?" she asked finally.

Inui smiled. "My name is Inui Sadaharu. I'm a friend of your brother's."

"Oh…oh! You're the one Shin-chan's been talking nonstop about. Come in. He should be down in a minute." The girl opened the door wider, then took off for the stairs, shouting, "Shinji! That new friend of yours is here!"

Noticing that he had basically been abandoned, Inui stepped into the entryway, closing the door behind him. He was...pleased, to know that apparently Shinji liked him enough to talk about him with his family. Something in Inui's chest lightened, so when he heard footsteps on the stairs, he was able to look at them with a genuine smile on his face…a smile that changed to a gasp when he saw Shinji.

To most people, Shinji wasn't wearing anything special, just jeans and a long-sleeved black polo shirt. Nothing unusual at all. But all Inui saw was how the denim hugged every curve and muscle of Shinji's legs, and how the shirt made his skin seem to glow. Briefly, Inui wondered what Shinji's ass looked like in those jeans, but pulled his mind back to Earth when he realized Shinji was speaking to him.

"—hope Rumi-chan didn't give you many problems. She's actually the more polite one of the two. Is it chilly out? I'm not sure if I need a jacket or not."

Inui shook his head. "It's actually a mild evening. You should be fine in that." He glanced around before moving closer to Shinji and lowering his voice. "Besides…I'm more than willing to keep you warm if needed."

Shinji blushed a little. "Well…how sweet of you." He looked Inui up and down, taking in Inui's own jeans and his green sweater. "You do look like you might have some heat to spare in that getup…I'll keep it in mind." Smiling, he opened the door. "Going out now, Mama…I'll be back by curfew!" He didn't wait for an acknowledgement, but opened the door and pulled Inui out it behind him.

Inui blinked. "Is that…all right?"

"She knows where I'm going and who I'll be with already. I was just letting her know I was leaving, that's all."

"I see." Inui glanced back at the house. "So…you said you have two sisters? Yet I only met one."

"Rei-chan was in bed. She's sick, so Mama is trying to keep her quiet. Not that it's possible to keep a five year old quiet."

Inui laughed. "I wouldn't know. I have no siblings."

"Well, if you want mine, you're welcome to them. I've wondered what it's like to be an only child."

"It's very lonely. Especially since both my parents work and are rarely home for long, much less at the same time. Sometimes, I wonder how _I_ was born. Conception seems like an odd feat if both genetic contributors are rarely in the same room."

Shinji reached over and squeezed Inui's arm briefly. "Well, if you ever get too lonely, you're always welcome at my house. "Quiet" will be a thing of the past."

Inui looked over at Shinji. "You have your own room, right?"

"Of course. My sisters share a room, but I got my own, being a boy and the oldest and all."

"Does the door lock?"

"It has one—Inui?" Shinji looked up at him, clearly confused.

Inui grinned. "Oh, nothing. Just imagining making out with you on your bed."

Shinji flushed scarlet. "Let's just get through the first date _before_ you go getting any ideas about me and my bed, all right?"

"Are you telling me that you haven't thought about it yet?" Inui's grin was wicked as he asked the question.

"What—no!" Shinji looked like he was going to burst into flames, he was that red. "Inui…that's not nice."

"Fine…I'll back off." Inui smiled, though, for he could see in Shinji's eyes that he _was _thinking about it now. "Where do you want to eat?"

"I don't know…anything's fine with me, really. I'm not that picky."

"You realize that could be an implied insult to me, Ibu-kun."

"No! Of course not. I'm not picky about _food_, not my…companions." Shinji smiled up at him. "You know…you don't have to call me that."

"And what should I call you? Calling you by someone else's name just seems rude."

"I have a name. And I know you know what it is, Inui."

"Oh…you mean "Shinji"?" Inui smiled. "If you want me to."

"It doesn't bother me, Inui."

"Well, if that's the case…maybe you should be calling me Sadaharu?"

Shinji shook his head. "Not yet. It still seems disrespectful right now."

"When will it _not _seem that way? I don't want you calling me that," Inui quickly censored his original thought, "forever, you know." _Or in bed, for that matter._

"I won't…soon, probably. At least let me get through the date? Then if we still want to keep seeing each other, I'll consider it."

Inui's heart sank a little. "If?"

"Well…." Shinji looked down. "Spending extended time with me might make you realize that I'm not all that exciting or special."

"Shinji…." Inui looked at him, then away, gathering his thoughts. "I haven't met anyone more special than you, ever. As for exciting…I don't know if you know all the ways that you…excite me."

Shinji turned bright red. "Inui!"

"What, you think I don't enjoy it when I kiss you and you kiss back? You think I don't like listening to how breathless your voice gets sometimes and thinking about other methods that I could use to produce that state?"

"I…I don't know if this is appropriate conversation for a first date, Inui." Shinji was trying his best to hide his embarrassment. "At least not before dinner, anyway."

"So we can revisit this topic after?" Inui paused and looked into the window of a pizza shop that he remembered some of the other students saying was good. "Is pizza good for you?"

"I'll…consider it. No promises, though. And pizza sounds fine."

"Excellent." Inui guided Shinji into the shop, grabbing a table and a menu for them. "What do you like on your pizza?"

"Oh, anything, really. I'm always up for trying something new."

"So." Inui's glassed glinted almost evilly in the light. "I could suggest b any /b combination of toppings, and you'll be willing to try it?"

Shinji leaned back in the booth and crossed his arms over his chest. "Just try me, Inui."

"I'm going to take that challenge." Grinning, Inui went over to the counter and ordered. Shinji watched, and noted the counter attendant's face turning slightly green, and he started to worry a little, but there was no way he was bailing now.

Finally, Inui came back and sat across from Shinji again. "About fifteen minutes. Then we'll see how brave you are."

Shinji laughed. "Inui…have you seen where I go to school? Have you seen who some of my teammates are? I really don't scare _that_ easily."

"So you don't get scared?"

"I didn't say that."

"So tell me something that's scared you." Seeing Shinji's reluctance, Inui added, "I'll do the same if you tell me."

"Fine." Shinji closed his eyes for a minute as he thought. "Believe it or not…that match I played with Echizen at the city tournament. I know I seemed like I was annoyed and mad at him, but…well, I _was_ annoyed. But I was mad at myself, too. I wasn't trying to hurt Echizen, and I know his own actions contributed to his injury, but…when you see someone holding their hand to their eye, and the blood isn't stopping, it's hard not to be frightened."

"I never knew that anyone that wasn't from our team was scared then," Inui mused.

"We were. It's a _game_, you know. Not a life or death situation. Yes, accidents happen, but injury by and large shouldn't be a major fear. I think that's why Akira stayed mad at Kirihara for so long…he couldn't understand how tennis could be a weapon. And I really can't, either."

"There are some people who believe in winning no matter what, like Kirihara…though I have it on good authority that his attitude has greatly approved. And there are others, like Aktusu…who just enjoy inflicting pain." Inui sighed. "That's what I fear most, you know."

"Pain?"

"Not pain, per se. But inflicting it. Enjoying it. I fear becoming a sadist. You've…heard of my juices, I'm sure."

Shinji nodded. "Echizen and Momoshiro speak of them often." He grinned. "Not usually in flattering terms."

"I can understand that." Inui sighed, then smiled. "There is nothing harmful about the juices. They are perfectly optimized for nutritional value. The taste…may possibly leave something to be desired, though. Still. When I first started making them, I simply wanted to help the health of my team. When I realized that they weren't as…receptive to the juices as I had hoped, I began using them for…motivational purposes. But now I find myself watching their reactions to the juices and…enjoying myself. I wonder if that makes me a sadist."

"Do you enjoy watching people in pain?"

"No."

"Well…have you ever gone out of you way to inflict harm on your teammates while they're down?"

"No!" Inui was clearly shocked by the thought.

"If something _did_ prove to be dangerous to them, would you repeat that situation?"

"Of course not! I don't want to hurt them."

Shinji nodded. "Then, I don't think you're a sadist. A sadist enjoys inflicting pain…something that it seems you do not enjoy doing."

Inui looked visibly relieved. "I knew there was a reason that I wanted you."

"For the ego boost?" Shinji laughed.

"No…just for being you."

Shinji blushed, then sniffed curiously. "Is it me, or does it almost smell like something just died?"

Inui frowned, smelling the air as well. "Maybe they had an accident in the kitchen?"

Just then, a waiter approached their table, holding a pizza tray as far from him as possible. "Here's your…pizza, sir." The teenager then beat a hasty retreat, looking like he was going to be very, very ill.

Shinji and Inui just stared at the thing in front of them, before Shinji found his voice. "Tell me…just _what_ did you get on this?"

Inui looked a little sheepish as he replied, "Squid, corn, eel, seaweed, raisins, and…squid ink."

Shinji turned very pale. "I take back what I said. You, Inui, are definitely a sadist."

"You're the one who said he'd try anything."

"And implied in that was that _you_ would be eating what you chose, too." Shinji waved at the pizza. "Go right ahead and dig in, then."

Inui stared at the pizza, feeling uncomfortably like it was staring back at him. "What do you say we skip this, go right to the movie, and fill up on popcorn instead?"

Shinji looked visibly relieved. "I think that's the best idea you've had so far tonight."

Since Inui had paid when he had ordered the pizza, he dumped a few dollars on the table as tip, then pulled Shinji up out of the booth. "Let's get out of here, then, before that pizza tries to eat us, rather than the other way around."

* * *

The movie was definitely going better than dinner had. 

After finding a movie that they both could agree on, Inui and Shinji settled into the theater with a large bucket of popcorn. The popcorn was filling and the movie amusing, so the first half of it passed smoothly.

When the popcorn was done, Inui put the empty bucket down by his feet, then glanced over at Shinji. He seemed wrapped up in the show, something that was proven to be true when Inui reached over and gently picked up Shinji's hand, holding it in his own. Shinji's only reaction was to squeeze it gently and shift a little closer to Inui.

Feeling encouraged by this, Inui removed his hand from Shinji's, only to drape it around his shoulders, pulling Shinji as close to him as the armrest would allow.

This time, Shinji did react. Leaning a little closer, he whispered in Inui's ear, "Trying to make a move on me, are you?"

Inui shivered a little and grinned, whispering back, "Why else did you think I wanted to sit in the back row? It improves the chance for…relations by at least 77 percent."

Shinji shook his head. "I should've known, really." He glanced around, and, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, leaned in a little closer to Inui and took the initiative for once, kissing Inui gently on the lips.

Inui was a little startled by this, but wasn't protesting by any means, instead turning a little more into Shinji to kiss him back, keeping one arm around Shinji, and running his other hand through Shinji's hair to cup the back of his head as Inui deepened the kiss, running his tongue across Shinji's lips.

Shinji sighed softly, parting his lips in answer to the silent request. He let Inui explore his mouth for a minute before some wickedness overtook him, and he started to suck gently on Inui's tongue.

Inui broke the kiss with a gasp, pulling back to look at Shinji panting a little. "You…you…." He wasn't able to finish the thought, his mind still mush from the sensation.

Shinji grinned. "I what?"

"You…tease." Inui smiled and shifted some, trying to ease the sudden tightness in his pants. "Now I'm going to spend all night thinking about that mouth of yours…elsewhere."

Shinji laughed softly. "Not on the first date, Inui. I'm not that kind of boy."

"I'm not either," Inui had to admit. "But you may make me one very quickly if you keep doing things like that."

"Oh, I'll be good." Shinji shook his head, but was still smiling. Inui, feeling like he was being teased still, leaned forward to capture Shinji's mouth in another kiss.

The movie continued on without their attention.

The house lights coming back up was what eventually brought Inui back to reality, and he sighed in disappointment as he pulled away from Shinji. "The movie's over…." He couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice.

"I see." Shinji sounded equally disappointed. "I guess that means we need to go?"

"Not…just yet." Shifting so that he was sitting fully back in his own seat, Inui took a few deep breaths, calming himself down the best that he could.

Next to him, Shinji was in a similar state. "Maybe we shouldn't do that again?"

"Are you kidding?" Inui looked incredulous. "Do you think I'd pass up doing that again? Even with the…inconvenient side effects, it was still incredibly enjoyable."

Shinji blushed a little as he replied, "I have to agree." Glancing down at his watch, he groaned. "You can sit some more if you like, but I need to leave if I want to be home on time." Shinji stood, straightening his clothes some.

"I'll walk you home." Inui stood as well, bending to grab their discarded popcorn container. "If nothing else, I want my goodnight kiss."

Shinji laughed as he led Inui into the main aisle. "What makes you think that that wasn't it?"

"Because the date's not over yet." Seeing Inui's grin, Shinji just laughed harder.

The walk home was a comfortable one, as they talked about the bits of the movie they had actually seen, school, tennis, and whatever else came to mind until, before they knew it, they were outside Shinji's gate again.

"Well." Shinji looked down, suddenly feeling shy. "I had a wonderful time, Inui."

"I did as well." Inui tilted up Shinji's face so he could see it. "Would you…like to do this again?"

"I would." Shinji smiled at him, and Inui relaxed some.

"I'll call you tomorrow."

"Unless I call you, first." Shinji smiled, then sighed. "I really have to go in."

"I know…." Inui didn't want to let Shinji go, but, knowing that he had to, he pulled Shinji close and kissed him gently. "Good night, Shinji."

"Good night…Sadaharu." Disentangling himself from Inui, Shinji smiled and went into his gate. "I'll talk to you tomorrow sometime."

"I…yes…." Inui was floored by Shinji actually using his name. "Sleep well?"

Shinji laughed. "I will. Be careful going home, please, and pleasant dreams." With a last wave to Inui, Shinji slipped into his house, closing the door behind him.

Inui watched Shinji disappear in a daze, then, shaking himself, turned himself towards home.

He had a feeling that his dreams were going to be _much _more than "pleasant" tonight.

--The End--


	9. Terminology

Terminology

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #15. perfect blue

Disclaimer: Disclaimer on part 1

Rating: PG

* * *

It was a gorgeous day, and Shinji knew he was being lazy, but he couldn't resist stretching out on his back outside and just watching the clouds go by. After a bitter cold winter, this early and warm spring seemed like a true blessing, and Shinji was more than happy to take the time to just… _be_ with the weather.

It was, really, a perfect day The sun was shining, a light breeze was blowing, the ground was warm under him…but Shinji keenly felt the lack of something. Or, more accurately, _someone_.

He and Inui had had a couple more dates since their near-disastrous first one, and Shinji was feeling more and more…_comfortable_ with Inui. He refused to use any other words for it. He liked Inui a lot, he liked spending time with Inui, definitely liked kissing him…but he didn't want to read more into the relationship than was there. Nor did he want to ruin such a nice day with such deep thoughts. No, Shinji was going to lay back and enjoy the sun, and try to ignore that nagging desire for an equally warm body beside him….

"Is this spot taken?"

Shinji smiled up at the person standing above him. "I never thought I had magic powers, but I must have them because I was just thinking that it would be nice if you were here with me, and here you are, and now it's an even nicer day."

Taking that rambling statement as permission, Inui sank down on the ground next to Shinji. "It is a nice day." He replied, ignoring the comments about powers. "Too nice to be spending over books."

"Books?" Shinji tilted his head to look at Inui. "Do you have a lot of homework or something? A big test coming up?"

Inui chuckled. "Several big tests," he confirmed. "It's high school entrance exam season."

"…oh." Shinji felt a little sheepish. He knew that Tachibana had left the tennis club to focus on exams, but somehow he had managed to forget that Inui would be in the same position. "You're applying to Seigaku's high school, right?"

Inui nodded. "I am. It's almost automatic to take that one. But there are several other high schools I'm thinking of applying to. One in particular would be a good match, since it has a strong sciences program. That will be useful to me, since I plan on studying science in college."

"I see." Shinji tried not to sigh. "Where is this high school?"

"That's the other benefit of the school." Inui grinned. "It's actually closer to Fudomine than Seigaku is."

Shinji couldn't help showing his relief that Inui wasn't planning on going far away. "I'm glad to hear that. I don't think I'd like to give up on this…thing we have before it really has a chance to get started. Is it a hard exam?"

"One of the hardest in the district," Inui nodded, "but I am confident that I will be able to pass easily."

"It must be nice, to have that much confidence." Unconsciously, Shinji shifted a little closer to Inui. "I wish I had that sometimes. Do they have a good tennis team?"

"Well…." Inui looked down. "The school is academic-based. They don't have sports clubs that exist as competitive entities."

"So…you're going to give up tennis?" Shinji wasn't sure why that disappointed him so much. Maybe because he couldn't contemplate giving up tennis and its role in his life."

"Of course not. Surely you've noticed how we all seem to congregate at the street courts on weekends. And I still want to play you sometime." Inui smiled. "You don't need a school team to play tennis."

"You're right, of course…but will casual matches be enough for you?" Shinji tilted his head as he looked at Inui. "You seem to be such a competitive person. I don't know if I can see you happy just playing like that."

"There are options. Tournaments that aren't open to just school teams. Coming off Seigaku's team, I will have no problem entering tournaments at first, and I expect that my subsequent rankings will be enough to allow me to enter more tournaments unquestioned."

"You seem to have your life pretty well planned." Shinji was torn between being impressed and worried. _He's ready to move beyond where I can reach…what if he moves beyond me and finds someone better, or more well-suited to him? What if he just lets us drift apart? That would be rude, to just walk away like that. He started all of this, and I don't know if I like feeling this uncertain…._

Inui smiled as Shinji unconsciously started mumbling, unknowingly turning his inner monologue into an outer one. "There's no one who is more well-suited to me. I will always have time for you, Shinji, believe me. I will be very upset if I _don't_ get to spend time with you."

Shinji blushed. "Sadaharu…." Once day, he swore to himself, he was going to figure out just what it was about Inui that managed to make him speechless time and time again.

"But look at us. It is a beautiful day, there's not a soul around…and we're talking about high school and tennis when we could be doing other things?"

"Other things?" Shinji propped himself up on his elbows some so he could study Inui a little easier. "Was there something that you wanted to do today, Sadaharu?"

"Definitely." With a grin, Inui moved quickly, rolling over Shinji and pressing him back to the grass. "I have a desire to kiss my boyfriend right here and now."

Shinji blushed again, but it wasn't from their positions. "You…want me to be your boyfriend?"

Inui paused as he was leaning down to kiss Shinji. "You…don't want that?" he asked slowly, feeling his heart sink a little.

"No! I mean, I do, but I thought it took longer to reach that point. More dating or something." Shinji shrugged awkwardly. "I didn't want to be presumptuous or anything like that."

"Never presumptuous. I want you to be my boyfriend. And if it takes some more dates for you to be comfortable with the term, then I am happy to oblige. This weekend?"

It took Shinji a moment to realize that the last had been a question, not a statement. "Of course. I'd love to go out with you this weekend."

Inui smiled, relieved. "Good. And now…seeing as I have you so conveniently under me…." He leaned down to capture Shinji's lips in a kiss.

As Inui's lips met his, Shinji caught a glimpse of something over Inui's shoulder, and he grinned, falling into the kiss.

He had never seen the sky look so blue before.

--The End--


	10. The Thought That Counts

The Thought That Counts

By: Liz

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #11. gardenia

Disclaimer: Disclaimer on part 1

Rating: PG-13 (mainly for a few naughty thoughts)

* * *

Inui wasn't confused often, but when he _did_ get confused, it was in a major way. Of course, he had never found himself so far out of his league before, either. 

It wasn't a hard task, really. He was a gentleman, and a gentleman was supposed to do nice things for the person he was dating. However, all the rules he had come across—and there were many; Inui was nothing if not thorough in his research—had covered dating between a boy and a girl. There was very little that he could find about relationships between boy and boy. Well, nothing that didn't make him furious at stereotyping or make him become suddenly flooded with naughty thoughts involving him, Shinji, handcuffs, and leather.

So, back to the basics it was. Which left Inui in his current predicament. Confused and with no idea on how to tackle his problem.

Inui took a deep breath. _All right, break it down. You want to do something nice for Shinji. But you haven't been dating him for long enough to have an intimate knowledge of his likes and dislikes. So go with what you know, and start there._

Feeling a little better with the beginnings of a plan in his head, Inui grabbed his notebook and started making a list, writing down everything he knew for sure about Shinji.

_All right…he's in 8th grade at Fudomine. Primarily a singles player. Preferred doubles partner is Kamio Akira. _Inui took a moment to control the sudden surge of jealously that rose within him at that. _He has some sort of friendly war going on with Echizen over grip tape._ Another wave of jealously as Inui thought about some alternate uses for the tape. He then took a moment to scribble down a note to himself about hentai doujinshi not being the best research material for romance. _Favorite subject is history and/or physics. He likes music, genre unknown. Favorite food…probably **not** pizza anymore, if it ever was._

Inui stared at his list, a little disgusted with himself. "That's all I have? That can't be right…." A quick search through his computer files proved him wrong, though. "Well…." Inui looked back at his list again.

_I'm definitely not touching the grip tape. Music…no, I'm not sure what he likes or has already. I really don't want to get him something associated with school, either. What does that leave?_

Inui stared at his list for a little longer, as if hoping the answer to his dilemma would magically appear on the page before him. Finally, accepting that no easy answer was going to come to him, he stood, grabbed his wallet, and left his room. "I give up. Flowers and candy it is."

Buying the candy was the easy part. Reasoning that everyone loves chocolate, Inui went with an assortment that hopefully had something that Shinji would like. It was the flowers that were throwing Inui so badly. Standing in the florist's shop looking like a lost soul, Inui toyed with just sticking with the chocolate and forgetting the flowers altogether.

Before he could act on his idea and run, a woman in an apron emblazoned with the shop's logo cornered him. "Can I help you? You look a little confused."

"I…maybe." Inui adjusted his glasses. "I don't know what I'm looking for, really."

She looked down at the bag Inui was already holding, and smiled. "Trying to impress the girlfriend, are you? Birthday or anniversary?"

"Neither, actually." Inui thought about correcting her assumption, then decided it would be easier and less stressful not to. "We've just started dating, but I really like…her." In the back of his head, Inui prayed to whatever higher power that was listening that Shinji would never hear about this conversation.

"How sweet!" The saleswoman grinned. "It's so rare to find a nice boy like you nowadays. I'd be happy to help you." She looked around her shop. "Roses are always a good option. Can't go wrong with the classics."

Inui thought about it for a moment. "Too cliché. I want something…different."

The woman smiled. "You're definitely trying to make an impression, then. Let's see…." She looked around again. "Tulips?"

Inui looked at them, considering. "I don't know…she doesn't seem like the tulip type of person…."

"We'll find something for you." She rummaged in the cooler for a minute. "Daisies?"

Inui almost had to laugh. Considering the direction that his thoughts had been going of late, he figured the flower of innocence might not be the best choice. "No…."

The saleswoman paused in her search. "Tell me about your girlfriend. What's she like? Maybe we can match based on personality."

"She's, ummm…." _Not a she, for one._ "Different," Inui finally settled on. "Not like all the other girls." _Well, that much is true._ "She's…beautiful. Exotic, almost, like she can't be defined, or even held to one form." Inui blushed a little.

"One of those, hmmm." The saleswoman smiled. "I think I have something for you. Wait here." She disappeared into the cooler, then emerged a minute later with a bucket of white flowers. "Gardenia," she explained. "A lovely odor, a compliment to anything and anyone." She grinned. "And they mean 'you're lovely,' you know."

Inui grinned. "It's perfect. I'll take them."

He emerged from the florist's several minutes later with bouquet in hand, looking at his watch. "I'm going to be…late?" Groaning, Inui quickened his pace, heading towards his and Shinji's usual meeting place.

When Inui entered the park, he immediately caught sight of Shinji and had to smile. Shinji was sprawled out on a bench, eyes closed and face tilted towards the sun, a small smile on his lips. _I wish I had a camera right now…wait, I do._

Taking out his phone and snapping a picture of the scene in front of him, Inui gave in to his evil side. Creeping up behind Shinji quietly, Inui set down his packages, covered Shinji's eyes, and whispered in his ear, "Guess who?"

Shinji jumped a little, then relaxed back into the bench. "I've been waiting for you, Kippei."

"What?!" Dropping his hands, Inui darted around to face Shinji. "You…there's someone else?" He tried his best to keep the hurt off his face.

Shinji shook his head and laughed. "There's no one else. I knew it was you Sadaharu. But if you're going to sneak up on me and try to scare me, then you deserve a taste of your own medicine, I think. It's only fair."

After processing that for a moment, Inui had to laugh, too. "Fine, I'll give you that. But please, Shinji, don't call out someone else's name again?"

Shinji blushed a little. "I promise, yours will be the only one to cross my lips when I'm with you. Unless we're talking about or with other people. Then I may have to use their names. It would be very rude of me not to, don't you think?"

Inui found himself almost hypnotized by Shinji's voice, and therefore wasn't following what it was actually _saying_. "Ummmm…no?"

Shinji sighed. "At least everyone else is honest with me when they haven't been listening."

Inui was instantly contrite. "I'm sorry…I just really like your voice."

Shinji blushed again. "Well, if that's the reason, it's all right, then."

"I…got you something…." Inui silently cursed himself for has abnormal shyness. _This is not me, this is **not** me! What's happening?_ He shook it off though and focused on Shinji.

"You did? Sadaharu…you didn't have to, you know that, right?" Shinji looked down and twisted his shirt in his hands.

"I know." Strangely enough, Shinji's obvious discomfort was making Inui feel more confident and secure. "I wanted to, though. Close your eyes, please?"

"You're not going to try and scare me again, are you?" Smiling, Shinji did as he was asked, though. "Eyes closed, and I promise that I won't peek. What now?"

"Inui stood and grabbed what he had bought. "First, this." He laid the box of chocolate on Shinji's lap.

"First?" Shinji blinked and looked down, then smiled when he read the box lid. "This looks delicious. Thank you, Sadaharu."

"Close your eyes again, please?"

Shinji laughed, but did as he was asked.

"I know this is going to seem cliché no matter what I do, but…." Inui laid the gardenia bouquet on top of the chocolates. "They made me think of you."

Shinji opened his eyes and his jaw dropped a little. "Sadaharu…they're beautiful…how did they make you think of me? I'm not beautiful or anything like that. I'm just me." He rubbed his nose, which was suddenly itchy, and hoped that he wasn't going to do anything silly like cry.

"I think you are beautiful. You are one of the most aesthetically pleasing individuals that I have ever had the pleasure of being with." Inui reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind Shinji's ear.

"Flatterer." Trying not to blush, Shinji picked up the flowers. "They smell, lovely, though…." Lifting them to his face, Shinji inhaled the scent…and sneezed.

Inui looked at him. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. A petal must've tickled my nose or something." Shinji tried again to smell them, but a coughing fit interrupted him. "Sadaharu?"

"Yes?" Inui was trying his best to hide his concern. Was Shinji sick, and hadn't told him before?

"I…suddenly I don't feel so good…." A sneezing fit interrupted Shinji and he dropped the flowers next to him. "Really not good…." He doubled over in a coughing fit, still sneezing.

Inui jumped up and pressed a hand to Shinji's forehead. "No fever…are you sure you weren't sick before?"

"No." Shinji's voice was horse, and his breathing was becoming labored. "Was feeling fine until just now…." He started coughing again.

Inui heard a distinct wheeze rattling in Shinji's lungs and he made the connection instantly. "Oh, no…come on, Shinji…." Grabbing onto Shinji, Inui hauled him up off the bench and several feet away into cleaner air. "Just stay there, all right?" Not waiting for an answer, Inui took off for the pavilion, leaving Shinji to sneeze and wonder just what had gotten into Inui.

A few minutes later, Inui came back with a bottle of water and some wet paper towels. "Feeling any better, Shinji."

"Some…." His voice was still hoarse but, Inui noted with relief, his breathing was a lot less labored. "What happened there?"

Kneeling beside Shinji, Inui used the paper towels to sponge off Shinji's face and hands. "Judging by the severity of the symptoms, the sudden onset, the timing, and the fact that your condition dramatically improved once your environment changed, I would say there is a 97 percent chance that you were allergic to the gardenias."

"Allergic?" Shinji shook his head. "I've never been allergic to anything before." He didn't fight Inui's ministrations, though, liking both Inui's touch and the fact that his eyes were feeling cooler and less painful.

"There's a first time for everything, Shinji. Have you ever been around gardenias before?"

Shinji thought for a minute, then shook his head. "Not unless you count pictures."

"Photographs do not contain allergens. The actual blossoms do, I'm afraid." Inui sighed. "I'm sorry. I wanted to do something nice for you, not try to kill you."

"Sadaharu…it _was_ nice," Shinji assured him. "It was very sweet, and you had no idea that would happen. I'm not going to hold that against you at all." He smiled. "Thank you, Sadaharu."

Inui smiled a little in return. "You're welcome…you're not allergic to chocolate, are you?"

"Believe me, I'm not."

"Then they should still be safe, at least." Inui stood. "Wait here. I'll grab those and walk you home. You should probably shower and change, just to be sure you're fully decontaminated."

"Sadaharu, they're flowers, not radioactive waste." Shinji laughed as Inui used a stick to nudge the flowers aside before he grabbed the chocolate and joined Shinji again.

"I didn't want to contaminate either of us further." Putting his hand on Shinji's shoulder, Inui steered him out of the park and in the direction of his house. "You're all right now, though?"

"My throat is scratchy, and I'm a bit stuffy, but I'll live." Shinji shook his head. "I'll get cleaned up and lay down for a bit once I get home, all right?"

"You better…should I tuck you in?" Inui grinned as he looked down at Shinji.

Shinji laughed. "I wouldn't mind, Sadaharu, but my mother might wonder what's going on. Better not, then." He sounded a little disappointed, though, and Inui was glad to hear it.

The conversation turned to lighter subjects, and before long, they were outside Shinji's house. "I really am sorry, Shinji."

"Sadaharu…stop apologizing. There's no reason for it." Reaching up, Shinji pulled Inui down a little and kissed him firmly. "My feelings haven't changed, I don't hate you, and I'm flattered that you thought to get me anything at all…." Pulling back quickly, Shinji sneezed again. "Sorry."

"If I can't be sorry, you can't, either." He handed Shinji the chocolate box. "Now, go get cleaned up. Call you tonight?" Inui tried not to sound too pathetic.

"Yes, dear." Shinji laughed, and then smiled. "Of course. I'll be waiting to hear from you." He blew Inui a kiss, then headed inside.

Inui walked home, almost in a daze. _At least I didn't screw up too badly…he appreciated the thought and the gifts. That's more than enough for me._ He looked down at his shirt. _I should shower as well. I had those flowers longer…maybe burn my clothes, too…._

Once he was home, though, Inui made a stop at his desk and looked down at his Shinji list. "Well, I said I wanted to know more about Shinji…I did manage that much, I suppose."

After thinking about it for a minute, Inui picked up his pen and scribbled down an addition to the list. _Highly allergic to gardenias. **Never again.**_

--The End--


	11. Supplement

Supplement

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #28. Wada Calcium CD3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters herein. I do not claim to own them, and I am not making any profit off of this. This is just fun in a fandom I enjoy. If you want to sue me for all I'm worth…please do! You're welcome to my student loans and other bills.

Rating: PG-13

* * *

Shinji sat on the bleachers at the street courts, watching the match taking place in front of him, and found himself wondering just how it was it had taken him and Inui this long to meet up over _tennis_. One would've thought it would be something natural for them to do, considering their status on their teams and all.

Not that they had really met up purposely now. Shinji had planned to go to the street courts with Kamio—Kamio had said something about having to teach Momoshiro a lesson, and Shinji agreed to go with him, because where Momoshiro was, Echizen was, and Shinji hadn't needled Echizen about the grip tape in almost three weeks, couldn't have Echizen thinking that Shinji had forgotten—and Inui had just…been there.

Shinji wasn't paying any attention to Inui, though. No, he was focused completely on the Kamio/Momoshiro grudge match and had not a thought at all for the way Inui was helping Kaidoh stretch out his muscles. It wasn't bothering him one bit.

At least, that's what Shinji was trying to tell himself.

He was so focused on ignoring Inui and his kouhai that he missed the end of the match that he was, in theory, watching. His only clue came when a hot, sweaty Kamio was suddenly draped over him, panting and reaching for a water bottle. "Tiebreak _again_," he grumbled. "Honestly, I know he's not better than me."

"Maybe you're equals, Akira." Shinji gazed down at the exhausted redhead in his lap. "It would explain why you go to a tie nine times out of ten, and why you seem to like playing with each other so much. I think you like playing with him better than me, and I'm supposed to be your doubles partner. Maybe you should team up with him and not me, do you think?"

"Shinji!" Kamio rolled over so he was looking up at Shinji, his head still in Shinji's lap. "Don't say that. You know I like playing with you better than anyone else. Except for maybe Tachibana-san," he amended.

"Well, of course." Shinji nodded. "It's Tachibana-san."

They smiled at each other in perfect understanding, and Kamio reached up to playfully ruffle Shinji's hair. Just as his hand made contact, a voice behind them said. "Hello, Shinji. Kamio."

Akira jumped and fell to the ground, glaring up at Inui. "Where the hell did _you_ come from?" he asked. "And would it be too much to _warn_ a person that you're there?"

"I'm sorry." Inui didn't sound particularly sorry, though, as he sat down next to Shinji, moving a little closer to him than was strictly necessary. "I just thought you might like to know that Momoshiro is over by the vending machines with Tachibana-chan."

"He—what!!" Kamio shot upright, all traces of exhaustion gone. "Momoshiro!!" Kamio was gone, running over to them before Shinji could blink.

He turned and frowned at Inui. "That wasn't very nice, Sadaharu. Akira was tired. It wasn't nice of you to make him run like that."

"He was all over you," was Inui's defense.

"And you weren't all over Kaidoh? Tell me, just what stretch is it that requires you to be wrapped around him?" Shinji crossed his arms and just looked at Inui.

Echizen interrupted them before Inui could respond. "Hey, Ibu. Since Momo-sempai abandoned me, care for a game?"

"Sure." Shinji jumped to his feet. "I'll beat you this time, and you'll give me what you owe me."

"Mada mada." Echizen walked to the court, Shinji following him.

A large part of Inui was disappointed that Shinji had been taken away from him, but the rest of Inui recognized what a golden opportunity this was to gather some more data on his boyfriend. So, he grabbed a notebook and watched the show unfold, writing down his observations and drawing a couple conclusions.

The match went to Echizen, which was no surprise, though the rather narrow margin of the win _was_. _Either Echizen wasn't playing at his full strength, or Shinji has improved quite a bit. Judging from the expressions on their faces, Echizen was playing at about 90 percent of his strength, but Shinji's game has improved by 31 percent since the last time I saw him play._ Inui frowned as he watched Shinji rub his shoulder as he came back into the bleachers while Echizen wandered away, presumably in search of his Ponta.

Inui replaced the frown with a smile as Shinji sat next to him. "Good game, Shinji."

"Thanks…but he still won. I _will_ beat that brat one day, you know." He was smiling, though, as he said it.

"I believe you." Inui looked Shinji up and down, something clicking in his mind. "You've grown."

Shinji blinked. "I guess I have," he said slowly. "People do that sometimes, at our age."

"Yes…." Inui ignored Shinji as he pulled another notebook out of his bag, flipping through it rapidly before he stopped on a page. "You have grown approximately three centimeters since you played Echizen in the city tournament."

"Is that all?" Shinji looked confused. "Sadaharu, what does this have to do with…well, anything?"

"You've been growing…and therefore putting more of a strain on your skeletal structure as your play compensates. I would advise a calcium supplement until you have finished growing to help prevent damage to your bones and joints."

"I don't think that's necessary. I take a multivitamin, and that has calcium in it. I'll be fine, Sadaharu."

"I really think you should consider it." Inui took a bottle from his bag and removed a pill. "It's really not so bad, Shinji. Kaidoh takes one every day, and it has greatly benefited him."

"Oh, really." Shinji narrowed his eyes. "I don't need it, though."

"Take it?" Inui held out the pill to him. "It will help improve your ability to take heavier swings by at least 14 percent."

Shinji shook his head. "No deal, Sadaharu. I don't want to, and you really shouldn't be badgering me about this once I said no."

Inui sighed. "Maybe you're right…." He turned away from Shinji and rummaged in his bag.

"Thank you, Sadaharu. All I want is to know that I'll be respe—mmmph!" Shinji was cut off as Inui suddenly whirled around and pressed his mouth against Shinji's, sliding his tongue between Shinji's lips. Shinji relaxed into the kiss for a moment before feeling something hard and _not_ Inui's tongue shoved far back into his mouth. Shinji had the options of swallowing or choking, so he chose the former, pulling back from Inui to glare at him, coughing a little. "You didn't."

Inui had the courtesy to look guilty as he responded, "It worked out better when I pictured it in my head…."

"Still." Shinji glared at him. "I said no! Are my wishes that unimportant? Or do you think yours are the only ones that matter?"

"I'm really sorry, Shinji…."

Shinji continued on without missing a beat. "And what if I said no for a good reason? What if there was some perfectly valid reason that I couldn't or didn't want that? You had no right to—" Again, Shinji was cut off as Inui pulled him into another kiss, one with no ulterior motives this time…well, other to quiet Shinji, but Shinji didn't need to know that.

Finally feeling the need to breathe, Inui pulled away from Shinji. "I'm really, truly sorry, Shinji."

"About what, now?" Shinji blinked up at him.

Inui grinned and was about to respond, when the sound of something heavy dropping behind them captured Inui's attention. He turned to see Momoshiro's shocked face, Echizen's indifferent face, and Kamio's amused one. Shinji, seeing their audience, turned bright red.

No one spoke for a minute, then Kamio broke the silence. "Should we leave you two alone?" he drawled.

That woke Momoshiro up. "Ibu—Inui-sempai—kissing…what!?" He turned to glare at Kamio. "You _knew_ about this?"

Kamio shrugged. "Shinji tells me everything."

"Or Akira bullies it out of me," Shinji muttered."

Momoshiro ignored that. "And you're okay with it?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kamio looked confused. "Shinji seems happy enough. That's good for me."

"Of _course_ Ibu is happy! He…he corrupted Inui-sempai!"

"_He_ corrupted?" Kamio glared at Momoshiro. "If anyone was doing the corrupting, it was that creepy sempai of yours! _He _kissed poor innocent Shinji first!"

Inui watched the chaos, reaching for his notebook, his glasses glinting. "Ii data…."

Shinji edged away from his boyfriend and approached the only one there who still looked sane. "No comments?" he asked Echizen.

Echizen shrugged. "Not my business," he said pragmatically. "The two of you can date whoever you want. Everyone at Seigaku will know tomorrow, though." He looked over at the still-shouting duo. "Excuse me." He went and dragged Momoshiro away, Kamio following behind them, still arguing with Momoshiro.

Shinji went back to Inui and took the notebook from him, closing it. "Probably not quite how you wanted your team to find out, is it?"

"Not particularly." Inui sighed, mind working. "I need to call Kaidoh and tell him myself. I'm glad he missed the…spectacle."

"Oh?" Shinji raised an eyebrow. "Something you didn't want him to know? Are you ashamed or something?"

"No! Don't even think that, Shinji. It's just…." Inui sighed. "We're close. And he deserves to not hear about something like this from a rumor. If our positions had been reversed, wouldn't you want to tell Kamio yourself?"

"I…you're right." Shinji smiled a little. "I'm sorry."

"Were you jealous, Shinji?" Inui grinned.

"No! Were _you_ jealous of Akira?"

"Definitely not." Inui adjusted his glasses.

"Glad we got that settled." Shinji looked down at his watch then jumped up. "I'm late! I have to go…." He bent and kissed Inui quickly. "I'll call you tonight." Before Inui could respond, Shinji was running for the stairs, pausing at the top. "And…I'll think about the calcium pill thing." He disappeared down the steps.

Inui grinned and decided that he could consider the concession a victory for him. Too bad he was probably going to spend the next couple days being teased by his teammates, though. Sighing, Inui gathered his things as well, rehearsing what he was going to say to Kaidoh…but anticipating Shinji's call even more.

--The End--


	12. Confirmation

Confirmation

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #14. radio-cassette player

Disclaimer in part 1.

Rating: PG

Extra note: This is the one of them all I like the _least_. I rewrote this about 4 different times, and this was the best that I got. So if you hate it, feel free to tell me, and I probably won't argue with you. Just fair warning.

* * *

"Sadaharu? Are you in there?"

Inui looked up from where he was staring at the ground and smiled sadly at Shinji. "I'm here."

Shinji sat down next to Inui and wrapped an arm around him. "Is he still not talking to you?"

"No." Inui sounded miserable. After several phone calls being rebuffed the night before, Inui had resolved to talk to Kaidoh in person the next day. Which would've worked out well enough if Kaidoh hadn't been determined to avoid him during morning practice. And lunch. And afternoon practice. Inui had half-contemplated chasing after Kaidoh when the other left for his run, but had decided that would be a little _too_ creepy and stalker-ish, even for him.

"If he'd just talk to me, I might be able to fix it." Inui shifted some so he was leaning into Shinji without looking like he was leaning into him. "For all I know, he's avoiding me for another reason entirely."

"How likely is that, really? I mean, has he ever avoided you before? Is this a habit he has, because if it is, then maybe you should stop worrying so much and let him get over it."

"No…he doesn't avoid. He's almost unbearably polite and would never outright snub a sempai. For him to do this…I don't know. And I don't like not knowing." Inui shook his head and mentally went over all his data on Kaidoh for what seemed like the thousandth time. "This is not in his normal behavior pattern at all."

Shinji thought about that for a minute. "Well…if, and this is still an if…if he _is_ reacting to hearing about…us, who do you think he heard it from?"

"Momoshiro." Inui didn't even have to think about it. "He—and Kikumaru—are the biggest gossips on our team, and Momoshiro would've delighted in spreading this to each and every person personally. Including Kaidoh."

Shinji nodded. "Now, remember, I don't know your team very well, but those I _can_ say I know somewhat well are Echizen and Momoshiro. And it has always seemed to me that Momoshiro and Kaidoh get on each other's nerves with very little prompting. Maybe it's possible that your Kaidoh is reacting more to the bearer of the news, than the news itself? And who knows what Momoshiro actually _told_ him, too."

Inui thought about this for a minute. "You…may have a point. If I only knew what Momoshiro told him…." He looked over at Shinji. "And why wasn't _I_ included in that list of people you know fairly well on my team?"

Shinji grinned. "I thought that was fairly self-evident myself. Was I wrong?"

"No, but it is nice to hear once in awhile." Inui grinned.

"Just hear?"

Inui pretended to ponder this. "Well…sometimes a demonstration is just as good a thing…."

"Well, then. Let me demonstrate." Grinning, Shinji pulled Inui into a kiss, which Inui immediately deepened, with no arguments from Shinji.

They probably would've remained like that for some time, but something dropped and shattered near them. Inui pulled away to see what the noise was…and immediately paled.

Kaidoh was standing in front of them, mouth open in shock. The shattering sound, Inui noted, was caused by a splintered cassette player at Kaidoh's feet.

Or maybe by Kaidoh's heart. He didn't have enough data yet to tell. "Kaidoh…."

"It's true…." Kaidoh's stare went from Inui to Shinji and back. "I thought the moron was lying, but he wasn't, was he?" Kaidoh's hiss radiated discomfort.

"Yes, it is true." Inui stood up and walked slowly over to Kaidoh. "I didn't want you to find out the way you did."

"Then why didn't you tell me, Inui-sempai?"

"At first…it was too new. Then…Momoshiro beat me to the punch."

Kaidoh hissed angrily. "No. Why didn't you tell me _first_?"

Inui's face cleared as comprehension dawned. "Ahhh. You…thought I told him purposely."

"That's what he implied."

"Kaidoh…it wasn't like that." Inui sighed. "Momoshiro saw something that he wasn't supposed to see. And wasn't polite or restrained enough to not immediately go blabbing about it. I was going to tell once I was fairly confident that this relationship is going to be a lasting thing. And I would have told you personally, Kaidoh."

Kaidoh looked a little mollified as he hissed and thought this over. "Are you happy, Inui-sempai?"

Inui blinked. "Right now, I am grieved that I inadvertently caused you distress."

"Not what I meant. Does _he_ make you happy?"

Inui looked over at Shinji who, honestly, looked as if he wanted to be anywhere _but _there at that moment. "He does. Very happy."

"Mmmm." Kaidoh transferred his gaze to Shinji, narrowing his eyes some. "You. If you ever hurt him…well, don't hurt him. You are not my sempai." He left implied what that meant for Shinji.

"I won't. I don't want to." Shinji met Kaidoh's eyes, meeting him glare for glare. He didn't appreciate the threat, but he really couldn't say anything, since Akira _had_ threatened Inui, after all.

"See that you remember that." Kaidoh hissed and glared again, then bent to pick up the pieces of his cassette player. Straightening, Kaidoh looked at Inui again and blushed a little. "Can you work with me a little tomorrow?"

"Of course." Inui adjusted his glasses. "I have a new training menu for you to start on. And, there's a new juice that I want you to try…."

Kaidoh was off and running before Inui could elaborate further.

Shinji laughed a little as Inui settled back down beside him. "That didn't seem so painful."

"No. I got lucky there. I didn't think that Kaidoh would be willing to listen to me so soon, though. I was calculating that it would take 2.7 more days for him to calm down long enough to listen to me." Inui thought for a second. "Maybe it was the shock value of us kissing that altered the data."

"Is that all my kisses are good for?" Shinji tried to sound insulted, but he couldn't.

"Of course not…they're also good for accelerating my heartbeat and breathing." Inui grinned. "I think that it is _extremely_ important for me to experience that again right now. I can worry more about Kaidoh later." He reached out and pulled Shinji close to him again, dropping a trail of kisses up Shinji's neck.

Shinji shivered. "That sounds like a good plan to me. Kaidoh doesn't seem to hate you, and training is as good a time as any to talk, though I really hope you don't share any details with him, because—"

Inui's lips covered Shinji's before he could say another word.

--The End--


	13. Tournament

Tournament

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #16. invincible; unrivaled

Disclaimer in part 1

* * *

There were only four times when Shinji felt truly alive. When he was with Inui, when he was spending time with Akira, when he was arguing with Echizen, and when he was on the tennis court.

So on a day like today, when he was going to be playing doubles with Akira, had already had words with Echizen, and was sitting next to Inui, Shinji was on top of the world.

There was a tournament, non-school sponsored, for once, and Kamio had had the idea that he and Shinji should enter in order to work on their formation some more in a competitive setting, and Shinji had agreed. Once they registered, though, it was astounding to see how many people had the same idea. "It's like we never left school," Shinji muttered, and Inui had to agree.

He and Kaidoh had had a similar idea…and so, it seemed, did half of the schools in the area. Some of the pairs and singles that _weren't _affiliated with a school team were starting to look distinctly intimidated, and Inui calculated a 37 percent chance that about half of them might cut and run at some point. "At least we're not playing each other," Inui pointed out.

"Yet. Unless you're going to lose, because Akira and I won't." Shinji smiled sweetly at him. "Though, I can understand if you're afraid to face me in a match."

"We will _not_ lose." Inui shook his head as his glasses glinted. "And if we face you…we won't lose then, either." He smiled. "It almost makes me wish we were playing together, though."

"Next time, maybe." Shinji smiled. "I won't mind playing against each other, too. It's like we're playing together, only not on the same side of the net."

"You have a point, I suppose." Inui grinned. "Either way, I still get to watch you run around a court, getting all hot and flushed, and showing off those legs of yours."

Shinji blushed. "Sadaharu!" Then he laughed. "Well, if you're going to be _that_ distracted by me, I think it would be a safe bet that we'll beat you after all."

"Not a chance." Inui adjusted his glasses and smirked. "You see, Kaidoh won't be distracted at all. But I'll be busy distracting you."

"Akira won't be distracted, either," Shinji pointed out. "So what you're saying is that this will be a match between them while we just stand there and stare at each other?"

"Not just stare. I figure if we're going to be so useless for our doubles partners, we can just go off together and let them fight it out for us."

"I hope you're not serious, Sadaharu." Shinji was trying to look stern, but he couldn't help laughing a little as well.

"No, I suppose I'm not." Inui and Shinji watched Kamio warm up in silence for a minute. "Would you like to warm up with me?"

"Of course." Shinji grabbed his racquet and headed for a practice wall, Inui close behind him.

As he watched Shinji go through his paces, offering the occasional suggestion, Inui did find himself getting distracted some. In his eyes, Shinji was an example of fluid grace. He radiated certainty and poise in a way that he never did off the courts. Inui reflected that, if he was corralled and trained properly, Shinji could become an invincible force on the courts. But he also knew that that was something that Shinji would never want. He was a free spirit, a force of nature.

Shinji would make his way on his own merits, not those of someone else.

"Sadaharu?" At some point while Inui was thinking, Shinji had finished with the board and come back over to him. "You're a million miles away."

"No." Inui pulled him close and kissed Shinji's forehead. "I was right here with you the whole time."

"How…sappy." Shinji shook his head, but was smiling some, too. "Want to rally with me for a bit?"

Inui agreed, and they enjoyed a good rally before Inui stopped them. "You don't want to wear yourself out," he said, leading Shinji to a bench and handing him a water bottle. "Or wear me out, too. Your play has definitely improved. Many times, you managed to defy my data."

"Coming from you, that is high praise, indeed." Shinji took a drink of water and focused on the doubles match playing out in front of them. "But you'll be working on fixing that, won't you?"

Inui fished a notebook out of his bag and held it up. "Gathering more data as we speak."

Shinji shook his head. "Is there ever a moment when you're _not_ collecting data?"

Inui thought about it for a moment. "When I'm kissing you. For some reason, my mind goes blank every time. In a good way, though."

"Sadaharu…." Shinji blushed, then stood as his and Kamio's match was called. "Wish me luck?"

"You don't need luck. There is a 72 percent chance you will defeat your opponents within twenty minutes. This victory is assured for you." Inui suddenly grinned. "But if you _really _think you need it…." He pulled Shinji down into a quick kiss. "Good luck, Shinji.

Behind them, Kamio yelled, "Shinji! Quit making out with your boyfriend and get over here!"

Shinji blushed and grabbed his racquet. "We're not making out, Akira! Were you wanting to watch or something, because if you need pointers, you know I'd be more than happy to help you out…." Shinji kept up his running commentary as he joined Kamio on the court, ignoring the squawking and protests of his best friend.

Inui settled back to watch the show.

--The End--


	14. Hold

Hold

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #22. cradle

Disclaimer in part 1.

Rating: PG-13

Note: This picks up immediately after "Tournament"

* * *

Inui was laughing as he settled back to watch the match. He was right; the Ibu-Kamio pair was having no trouble with their opponents, and Inui was appreciating both the opportunity to gather more data _and_ to watch Shinji as he moved around the court. Everything was falling as he had predicted, though the pair in front of him seemed to be breaking beyond what Inui's data had even suggested, not that he was too surprised, considering that both Kamio _and_ Shinji were involved. Watching his boyfriend play at that moment, Inui honestly had a hard time imagining that anyone would be able to defeat that pair, even him and Kaidoh.

And then it went wrong.

When he looked back on the scene, Inui couldn't pinpoint the one thing that caused the sequence of events to take place. Shinji had hit a shot that left him a little off-balance, and he stumbled briefly over a shoelace that had managed to come untied. A minor thing that most players at his level could work around without a hitch.

But the opponent had noticed the weakness as well.

He aimed his shot into Shinji's court, targeting it to his weaker side. Kamio saw this, tried to get over there, but even his speed wasn't enough. Shinji saw the ball, moved to take the shot, hit it…and then was down with a sharp cry.

Inui didn't even realize he was moving, didn't see the referee come onto the court, didn't see the medic move in, didn't even acknowledge the gross impropriety of jumping onto the court when a game was technically still in play. All he saw was Shinji's pale, twisted face, and all he heard was Shinji's silence.

He reached the cluster of Kamio, referee, and medic just in time to hear the medic say "…ankle. Could be sprained, could be more. Better get him to the hospital for X-rays. I'll go get the stretcher." He and the referee walked off, once the referee called the match.

Shinji looked up at Kamio. "Sorry, Akira. Didn't want to make you forfeit."

"Don't be stupid, Shinji. It's not your fault." Kamio looked up at Inui, who he had noticed hovering there. "I'll get our stuff. You calm down your boyfriend."

Shinji looked up and tried to smile. "I'm not dead, Sadaharu."

"But you still scared me." He knelt down beside Shinji. "Does it hurt?" He winced at the swelling.

"Like you wouldn't believe. Aren't broken bones supposed to not hurt? Or is that something else I'm thinking of? I don't like pain, it's very distracting. But I guess if we didn't feel pain, then we wouldn't know that something's wrong…did it suddenly get cold?" Shinji shivered a little.

Inui wrapped his arms around Shinji, cradling him close. "Shock, probably. There's a 67 percent chance you'll go into some form of shock from any given traumatic injury."

"I wouldn't call this injury traumatic, Sadaharu. Yeah, it hurts, but it won't scar me for life or anything like that. People wrench ankles all the time, you know."

"That wasn't quite what I meant…." Inui wasn't able to elaborate, as just then Kamio returned with their gear, and the medic came back with another medic and a stretcher.

Very carefully, the medics got Shinji arranged on the stretcher, then the first one looked at Kamio. "You're his partner, right? You can ride along with him in the ambulance."

Inui looked both hurt and torn.

Shinji looked up at him. "I'll be fine, Sadaharu. Go. You have a partner that's counting on you." He winced a little as the stretcher was lifted off the ground and he was jostled some.

Kamio looked at Inui, eyes sincere. "I'll take care of him for you, Inui. Nothing will happen to him on my watch. He'll be fine." Patting Inui's arm awkwardly, Kamio ran to catch up with Shinji, leaving Inui standing there, alone and worried.

Inui tried to continue on, he really did. He played a match, and while he and Kaidoh won, both of them knew that it was hardly an impressive game.

"They should not have scored as much as they did, let alone have taken three games from us," Kaidoh said as they stretched out a little. "Is something wrong, Inui-sempai?"

"I…you know that Shinji and Kamio are out, right?"

"I saw the forfeit on the board. It has something to do with that?"

Inui nodded. "Shinji…got hurt. He was taken to the hospital."

"I see." Kaidoh folded his towel, then took a long drink from his water bottle. "There will be other tournaments, you know."

"I know. I just feel bad that Shinji's hurting right now. I hope it isn't serious. Shinji won't like it if he has to miss a lot of time from playing…." Inui looked about ready to start reciting statistics and percentages, so Kaidoh made himself interrupt.

"I meant, there will be others for us." Inui stared at him, so Kaidoh continued. "Your mind isn't here. It's with him, so your body might as well go join it."

"Are you sure, Kaidoh?" Inui clearly wanted to run, but manners and a sense of loyalty made him stay and ask.

"Inui!" He looked up to see a very familiar redhead running over to him, Oishi following behind him. "Good game…but where was your head?"

"Shinji…." Inui's conflicted feelings were written across his face.

"Inui-sempai's…boyfriend got hurt. That's where Inui-sempai's head is."

"Ibu-kun got hurt?" Eiji pouted a little. "I wanted to welcome him to our family! But if he's hurt, why are you still here, Inui?"

"The match…and…." Inui shook his head.

"I told you already, Inui-sempai. Go." Kaidoh stalked over to the officials to notify them of their withdrawal.

"Tell Ibu-kun that we hope he recovers soon, and that we still want to meet him." Oishi had finally arrived, wrapping an arm around Eiji.

"Yeah, get out of here, Inui." Eiji smiled. "The person you care about is always most important."

Inui didn't stop again to think. He just picked up his bag and ran.

A bit later, Inui charged into the emergency waiting room, and looked around until he saw a familiar shock of red hair. "Kamio." Inui approached him. "How is he?"

Kamio looked up from his magazine. "I told Shinji you'd be here. Shinji said you'd stay with Kaidoh, but I said otherwise. He owes me lunch now." Kamio grinned.

"Yes, but…how is Shinji?"

"Just a sprain. They're putting an air cast on his ankle right now to immobilize it for a couple weeks, then he has to do some therapy. But they think there's no permanent damage."

Inui dropped into a chair. "I'm glad to hear it. Even so, his ankle is going to be 16 percent weaker for some time, and even later, it will still be approximately 7 percent weaker than it was before the injury."

Kamio shook his head. "I swear, I have no idea how Shinji puts up with you. It's like dating a computer, with all those numbers. Throws me off my rhythm." He stood. "I'm going to go call a cab so Shinji can get home."

Not too long after Kamio disappeared, Shinji came out into the waiting room, hobbling on crutches. "Akira?"

"He went away for a few minutes…will I do?" Inui stood and walked over to him.

"Sadaharu?" Shinji blinked. "Is it over? It must be later than I thought, though time was moving so slowly, I have no idea what time it should be at all, and that's more depressing than being hurt, they should really do something—"

Inui leaned down and kissed Shinji, mindful of the crutches and the ankle. "I don't know if it's over, and I don't care. I was too worried about you."

"But Kaidoh?"

"Kaidoh was the one that told me to go."

"You should've stayed." Shinji smiled and leaned against Inui a little. "But I'm glad you're here."

Inui wrapped his arms around Shinji, holding him close. "It wasn't just him. Eiji and Oishi, too. They know what's truly important…and that's you. I'm always here for you, Shinji."

"If you lovebirds are done having your moment?" Kamio cleared his throat. "There's a cab waiting for the two of you.

"Two of us? What about you, Akira?"

Kamio shook his head. "I've got something very important to do that doesn't involve being a third wheel in the back of a cab with the two of you." Grinning, Kamio ushered them out of the emergency room and into the waiting cab. "Bye, you two! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Shinji sighed. "That means I can't make out with my Sadaharu, because you wouldn't do it. That's not fair, Akira to tell me something like that. We're not the same people, so of course we'll do and not do different things…."

Kamio looked at Inui sympathetically. "Yeah, he's going to be fine. Just…put him right to bed when he gets home, because when the painkillers kick in, they're going to kick in big time."

"Understood." Inui nodded and gave the driver the address.

One cab ride later—during which Shinji never shut, up, though his words did pick up a slur towards the end—Inui was practically pouring Shinji into his house. Once he determined that no one was home—thus no assistance—Inui struggled a little in getting Shinji up the stairs, and found his room mainly by process of elimination. "This wasn't how I was hoping to get you into bed," Inui told him as he lowered Shinji onto his bed.

Shinji grinned the grin of the massively drugged. "But now you have me here! What will you do next, Sadaharu?" He tried to move seductively, but it was coming off as rather clumsy.

"Tuck you in and let you sleep it off." Inui wasn't going to lie and say that the sight of Shinji sprawled across his bed, relaxed and willing, _wasn't _an appealing sight, but he wanted Shinji to be fully conscious of it more than he wanted what Shinji's smile and body were promising.

As Inui leaned down over Shinji to pull up the covers, Shinji reached up and pulled Inui down on top of him. "That's better!" he chirped, cradling Inui against his chest. "Like you right here…." He lifted his face and pressed his lips against Inui's.

Inui found himself responding to the kiss, and he instinctively leaned some more into Shinji, pressing against him. Shinji gasped and rocked up into Inui, and it was that that brought him back to Earth.

"No," Inui gasped, pulling away from Shinji's tempting mouth and moving off of him. "There is a 97 percent chance that you will regret it if we did…anything now, and a 54 percent chance that you would be upset enough to break up with me. I'm not willing to risk that." Moving a little more carefully, Inui tucked the blankets securely around Shinji. "Sleep for now."

"Stay, please…." Shinji's words trailed off as he finally succumbed to a drugged sleep.

Unable to help himself, Inui kissed Shinji's forehead before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Of course," he said softly. He looked down at Shinji, part of him hoping he continued to sleep, and the rest of him hoping that Shinji would wake before his family got home. This wasn't _exactly_ how Inui had wanted to meet them.

But he couldn't deny Shinji anything, either. Especially when he was hurt. So Inui settle in to spend his afternoon and evening watching Shinji sleep.

_Oh, well,_ Inui thought. _There's much worse things I could be doing._

--The End--


	15. Milestone

Milestone

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #5. "ano sa" ("hey, you know...")

Disclaimer in part 1.

Rating: PG-13, skirting the very edge of R

* * *

"Please?"

"I don't know…I might just be intruding…I don't want to do anything to spoil your day, you know. That wouldn't be fair of me, to do something that might cause you trouble just because it might be nice to be there."

"It _would_ spoil it for me if you weren't there, you know."

Inui and Shinji were sitting on what had fast become "their" bench on the park, having a discussion about an event of extreme importance…namely, Inui's graduation. More specifically the appropriateness of Shinji attending said graduation. Inui was advocating it, while Shinji was not as sure.

_It's a good thing that Seigaku and Fudomine aren't graduating on the same day,_ Inui thought ruefully as he tried to compose a compelling argument for Shinji. _Otherwise I'd be losing to "Tachibana-san" in a heartbeat_.

"I really don't know…." Shinji looked down at where he was twisting the hem of his uniform jacket between his fingers.

"Shinji." Inui's hands covered Shinji's, stilling them. "You want my graduation to be a happy affair, correct?"

"Of course I do, Sadaharu. You know that."

"And you _are_ my boyfriend?"

"Unless you're seeing another one behind my back." Shinji didn't look at all happy at the thought.

"Nothing could make me happier than to have my boyfriend at the ceremony." Inui smiled at him. "I _want_ you there. I may have some very good news after the ceremony, and you're the first one I want to be able to share it with."

"What about your parents, Sadaharu? Surely they'll want to be the first to know what interesting and good things may or may not be happening to their son…."

Shinji was close to cracking. Inui could see it, so he pressed his advantage, going in for match point. "Father won't even be in town. He's going to be in Okinawa somewhere. As for Mother," Inui sighed. "She _might_ be there. Assuming of course that a project, or client, or phone call, or something else doesn't come up and make her forget all about it. Which I estimate a 74 percent chance of happening."

Shinji looked shocked beyond belief. "Your own parents won't be there? Oh, Sadaharu, why didn't you tell me to begin with? Of _course_ I'll be there for you. That's very rude, not even taking the time to support your one son. What kind of parents would do such a thing? It just seems wrong…."

Inui let Shinji ramble while he took a moment to gloat internally. _Knew that would do it. Game and match to Inui Sadaharu. Too bad I wasn't exaggerating, though._ Coming back to himself, Inui gently laid a finger across Shinji's lips. "Shinji. It's all right. I'm used to it. I'll have you there, and that's what's important to me now."

"Just tell me the date and time, and I'll be there." Shinji nodded. He wasn't going to let anything stand in the way of Sadaharu's happiness on his graduation.

* * *

Shinji had to appreciate the way that Seigaku did a graduation, he found himself thinking two weeks later, seated in the middle of a crowd of spectators. Everything was organized wonderfully and tastefully arranged so as to achieve maximum comfort and view for both the graduates and guests.

He wasn't really paying attention to any of that at all, except on the most superficial of levels. All of Shinji's attention was focused on one dark-haired individual. And, even though seeing Inui's eyes would've been impossible through his glasses, let alone from this distance…he swore he could see Inui's eyes on him, could feel Inui looking right at him. Which was impossible. Shinji was just another face in the crowd, after all.

Shinji sat through the speeches, the addresses, the presentation of diplomas, all without his eyes ever leaving Inui. He was so happy for his boyfriend…but a little worried, too, and Shinji couldn't help but let his worries distract him a little as the crowd dispersed some, milling around waiting for their particular graduate to come out and find them.

_He's going to high school, now. I'll still be in junior high…what if it becomes too troublesome for Sadaharu to have someone younger in his life? What if he goes far away, or…he's going to be mixing with new people; what if he meets someone he likes better, someone who's a better match for him…._

Shinji was so lost in his speculations that he didn't see Inui watching him. He did, however, notice when Inui came up to Shinji and wrapped his arms around him. He jumped, startled. "Sadaharu!"

Inui smiled and nuzzled Shinji's neck discreetly, mindful of all the people around them. "You came." He was feeling inordinately happy about that simple fact.

"I told you I would." Shinji turned to smile up at him.

"I know you did. I was watching you, you know."

"So I wasn't hallucinating…I thought I felt you watching me, but I wasn't sure. But if you really were then I wasn't hallucinating at all, and that's a very good thing to know, because otherwise I might be going crazy, and I don't think I'd like to go crazy—"

"Shinji!" Inui cut into Shinji's ramble before he could get too deep into it. "Want to go to our spot? I want to share something with you."

"Is there anything you need to do here?"

"No." Inui shook his head. "I'm finished here, and the team had our party last night. It's just you and me now." He looked around. "Besides, I want to get out of this crowd. I don't like large amounts of people around me."

"Neither do I." Nodding, Shinji grabbed Inui's hand and began leading him out of the seemingly endless sea of humanity, not saying anything until they got clear of the school and were heading down the street. "Does this have to do with that good thing you hinted about awhile ago?"

"The very same."

"Tell me?"

"Not yet." Inui smiled. "There's a very certain way that I want to do this, and I won't be distracted or swayed from it."

"Fine. Have your secret." Shinji did his best to act like he was sulking.

"Trust me, Shinji," Inui said as they entered the part and made for their bench. "There is a 92 percent chance that you will be very happy with what I have to say."

"That certain of yourself, are you?" Shinji sat on their bench, pulling Inui down beside him. "Now. Talk."

"All right." Inui took a deep breath. "Remember that high school I was telling you about quite awhile ago? The one that specializes in sciences?"

Shinji nodded. "Yes, the one that would make you give up tennis. And didn't you say something else about it being a bit too expensive?"

"Well, that's not a problem anymore." Inui took an envelope out of his pocket and stared down at it. "I tested in the highest percentile on their entrance exam, and coupled with my grades, they were impressed enough to give me a scholarship. So…I've chosen my high school."

"Sadaharu, that's wonderful." Shinji smiled. "I'm sure you'll be happy there."

"I would say that the percentages highly favor that assessment, yes." Inui's whole face was lit up in his happiness. "I value my friends and teammates, of course, but there were many ways in which I just could not relate to them. Imagine being in an environment where everyone will understand you, where you don't have to worry about saying something that will make everyone look at you oddly." Inui leaned back some into the bench. "Meeting my new classmates will be very enjoyable, indeed." His smile turned into a grin. "And you know what else it means, too."

"…I see. It sounds like it will be wonderful for you." Shinji had to look away from Inui's beaming face. _I was right…I knew it was coming…why did he think that I'd be **happy** to have him do this? Why is **he **so happy about it? _ Swallowing, Shinji forced himself to continue. "I…ummm, you know, you don't have to dance around what you want to say next, you know."

Inui looked at Shinji a little sheepishly. "Was it that obvious that I have more that I want to tell you?"

"To me, yes." Shinji pointedly did not look at Inui, instead staring out over the park. "I have enjoyed my time with you, Sadaharu. A lot. I'm grateful for it and you. There's no need to drag this out any longer, I guess."

"Shinji." Shinji didn't want to think too hard about the tone in Inui's voice. "It sounds almost like…you're breaking up with me?" _No! He…he can't be…._

"I should be sorry I beat you to it, I guess. But I'm not. I'm not good enough for you anymore now, I can understand that, but please give me the dignity of not having to be dumped on top of it all." Shinji blinked hard. _I am **not** crying! _ "Let me have this much before you move on and up?"

"Shinji, I think you've come to the wrong conclusion…." Inui fell silent, though Shinji could hear Inui fumbling behind him. "Here." Grabbing Shinji's hand, Inui pressed something hard and round into it.

Shinji opened his hand slowly, and blinked. "A button…?" Turning, he inspected Inui's uniform jacket, and noticed a single button missing. The third one, the one that so many girls would kill to get from a boy…and it was resting in the palm of Shinji's hand. "Sadaharu…?"

"My high school is much closer to Fudomine than Seigaku is." Inui caught Shinji's chin and held it so that Shinji _had_ to look at him. "By the time, I get out, your practice should be coming to an end…I figured that it would be nice to walk home together, or do things together, or…well, whatever you'd like."

Inui could feel himself blushing, but he pressed on, _needing_ to make Shinji understand what he meant. "Because…well, ummm…hey, you know that I like you. A lot. Too much to want us to part ways just because I'm changing schools. And I thought that…that you liked me like that, too."

"I do, Sadaharu…." Shinji's eyes were fixed on Inui's face. "I thought that _you_ wouldn't want _me_ anymore..."

"Never." Inui smiled down at Shinji and folded his hand around the button. "Quite the opposite, actually. I'd like—I feel like a female, saying this—but I'd like to, well…go steady?" He drew in a shaky breath. "Would you like that, Shinji?"

Shinji just _looked_ at Inui, then unable to speak for once, pushed himself up a little and captured Inui's lips in a deep kiss, almost draping himself over Inui as he pressed him back against the bench.

Inui's arms came up to steady Shinji, wrapping around his waist as Shinji's arms went around Inui's neck, holding him close as he pressed kiss after kiss on Inui's willing mouth. Inui, never one to not take advantage of an opportunity, began sliding his hands over Shinji while using his tongue to entice Shinji's into a slightly different dance than the one their bodies were engaged in.

Finally Shinji had to pull back, breathless and trembling a little. Inui gazed at Shinji, seeing the effect that their kissing, that b his /b kisses had had on Shinji, and he felt equal parts heat and pride shoot through him. "I…I take it that is a yes, then?" Inui noticed then just how breathless b he /b was, and it surprised him some.

"Of course it is." Shinji had to look away a little. "I…I like you too. A lot. And I want to stay with you. It would be…wrong, to end it now. I don't want it to end, and you don't, so it makes sense to…keep going."

It was hardly a declaration of love, but Inui found that he had never heard such wonderful words before in his life, not felt this incredibly happy.

_And maybe one day…we can say it to each other…._

--The End--


	16. Forever

Forever

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #6. the space between dream and reality

Disclaimer in part 1

Rating: PG

* * *

Shinji never fell asleep the second he got into bed. No matter how tired, or sick, or whatever he was, it always took him at least a half an hour to get to the point where sleep would overtake him. Before that, his mind was still going, chasing itself in circles as Shinji thought over his day, or his mood, or his plans for the next day/week/month. That was the way it had always been, and how Shinji had always expected it to continue.

Except, lately, something had changed. It wasn't his routine at night. He still did the same things as always—shower, brush his teeth, take his vitamins--including that calcium thing that Inui had forced on him—brush his hair, and get into bed. It wasn't his bedtime, either, or something in the house, or even that his mind had suddenly decided to give him a break and shut off right away.

No, his mind was as active as ever. Though, instead of thinking of everything, Shinji found himself thinking of only one thing—Inui. Or, more specifically, Inui, and him, and their future together.

There was a time where Shinji would've said with absolute certainty that he was just _not _relationship material. That there was no one out there that would be able to see past his rather obvious outer shell and really see _Shinji_, the Shinji that had always been there, just hidden from the world.

_But Sadaharu did. He wasn't put off by my mumbling. No, he was fascinated by it and used it as a reason to find out **more**, not to run away from me. The only other person who's ever really gotten inside me like that is Akira, but even Akira doesn't…._ Shinji groped for the right word for a minute. _Know me. He doesn't **know** me like Sadaharu does, which is odd, since I've known Akira for so much longer, and I know Akira loves me, and I love him, but not the way that I love Sadaharu…. _

Shinji suddenly sat bolt upright in bed, realizing what he had just been thinking. "I…what? I love him? How can I love him? Isn't it too soon for love? I always thought love took more time, and besides, I bet he doesn't love me back. Like me a lot, maybe, but not love, because he's sensible and smart, and probably too smart for love. I should be too smart for love, too, you know, so why am I sitting here thinking that I love Sadaharu—"

A banging on his wall interrupted Shinji's monologue. "Shin-chan, shut up! We're trying to sleep!"

"Sorry, Rumi-chan…." Sighing a little, Shinji lay back down and picked up his train of thought again, mentally this time.

_All right. Maybe I do love Sadaharu. But it's definitely too soon to say anything to him about it. At least not until he…I don't know, tells me, or shows it, or something. Unless I slip up. Which I do sometimes, I know. At least if I do slip, I don't **think** that Sadaharu would hate me or be disgusted or anything like that._

Shinji rolled onto his side and reached out to his nightstand, feeling around until he grasped something very important to him. To anyone else, it was just a simple button, but to Shinji, it was something that meant that, just maybe, he wasn't the only one that had high hopes about where this relationship was going to end up one day.

_I know we're only fourteen. I know that there's a lot of life ahead of us, even now. High school, college…so many things can happen to us, so many experiences…. But, I really think, no I **know** that I want to be with Sadaharu through it all. I should be scared by that. I should be terrified to think that I'm willing to tie myself to someone when I'm still so young, but it's not scaring me. I feel safe, instead. Comfortable. And…it's scaring me a little that I don't know if Sadaharu feels the same way about me, but somehow…._

Shinji thought of Inui's expression when he thought that Shinji was breaking up with him. Inui's expression when Shinji accepted the button...and Inui. And, most tellingly for Shinji, he thought of the way their lips had met in that moment, of the way that Inui had held him close and made him feel like he was the center of Inui's universe and that nothing could dislodge Shinji from that spot.

_I think we both want the same thing, really. I think we both feel the same way about each other. We just can't…express it yet. But I can feel it. I **will ** feel it. And when we're both ready, I'll say it. I'll tell Sadaharu just what I want from him, and, I hope, he'll tell me that he wants the same things in return…._

Shinji slipped into a deep sleep, still clutching the button close to his heart, dreaming of Inui's smile, arms, and kiss, and a future that Shinji hoped with all his heart would be theirs.

_I want forever, Sadaharu. Forever with you._

--The End--

Note: I know Shinji's birthday is in November and Inui's is in June, and that they are in different grades. So their ages might look a bit odd to most people. However, I'm basing their ages off of a school registration cutoff date in October, which essentially means that Shinji would have to have waited almost a whole year to be enrolled in school, whereas Inui could've stared as soon as he turned 5. Therefore, while Inui is technically older than Shinji—by 5 months—they were born in the same year, so Inui will be turning 15 in 10th grade, and Shinji will be turning 15 in 9th grade. I hope that makes sense. If you are confused, just ask and I will try to explain it better.


	17. Surprise

Surprise

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #29. the sound of waves

Disclaimer is on part 1

Rating: R

* * *

"Where are we going, Sadaharu?"

"It's a secret…I think you'll like it, though." Inui's voice was rather smug and self-satisfied as he ushered Shinji onto the train and into a seat.

Shinji was unable to do anything but yawn and lean against Inui's shoulder as the train started moving. He was confused, and, he thought, likely to remain that way until Inui decided to fill him in on the secret. All he knew was that he had been dragged out of bed obscenely early for a Sunday—and just when had Inui gotten a copy of his house key, anyway?—and been told to dress. And Shinji was just enough of a zombie first thing in the morning to obey and be led without question.

However, now Shinji was waking up enough to be asking questions, and he wasn't sure that he really appreciated Inui's non-answers. "That's very rude," he started muttering unconsciously, "to just assume I'll follow him without question, even if I am his boyfriend. And now he's hiding things from me, too. What if I already had plans for today, or something to do, or just wanted to sleep some more? Sadaharu should've at least asked first if I wanted to go out with him, and how did he get into my room, anyway?"

"Shinji." Inui shifted a little so he could look Shinji in the eye. "I just wanted to surprise you, that's all. I'm not hiding anything from you. I just wanted a nice day together."

Shinji blinked a little as his eyes finished focusing. "And you couldn't have told me when we talked last night that you wanted to surprise me today?"

"Well, actually…." Inui looked a little sheepish. "It didn't occur to me until three this morning that I wanted to do this. And you were the only person I wanted to come with me, so…surprise?"

Shinji shook his head. Now that he was waking up, he could see the humor in the situation, but still. "Try to give me a little warning, next time?" A thought occurred to him then, and Shinji shot straight up, cheeks turning red in embarrassment. "Oh! You actually _saw_ me this morning!"

Inui decided that now was _not_ the time to mention that he had actually sat and watched Shinji sleep for a good ten minutes before actually waking him up. "I did," he said instead. "And it was the nicest thing that I have seen in a long time." He grinned. "Especially when you forgot that I was in the room and started changing in front of me."

Shinji turned even redder. "You…watched that?"

"Yes, I did. I was not aware that you didn't wear underwear when you slept. Ii data, indeed." Inui couldn't stop grinning. The look he had gotten at Shinji's backside—and look he certainly did—was more than enough to fuel his fantasies for some time to come.

"That's it…I am never going to be able to look at you again." Shinji sighed. "I hope seeing that was worth knowing that I am about to die from embarrassment this very second."

"You won't die. First, it is statistically impossible to die from something as unquantifiable as embarrassment. And second," Inui pushed some hair out of Shinji's face, tucking it behind his ear gently. "I won't let you leave me so easily."

"Sadaharu…." Shinji smiled at the words and gesture. "It's all right, I really didn't have any plans to die so soon. There's too much I want to do first."

"Oh? Like what?" Inui was eager to hear; more information about Shinji was always a positive thing to him.

"Like find out where you're taking me at this godforsaken hour."

"It's not "godforsaken." It's," Inui looked at his watch, "7:12 AM."

"On a Sunday," Shinji countered. "Did no one ever tell you about the joys of lazing in bed when you don't have to be up?"

Inui grinned again, and his glasses glinted in the rising sunlight. "No…but I can be taught." His grin faded away then, and his tone became serious. "Will you be lazing in said bed with me? Because that is the only way that I think I would find the experience enjoyable."

"I…." Shinji looked down, feeling very hesitant and almost shy. For all the joking they'd done about sex, whenever it came up seriously, he felt the urge to run away.

While Shinji was struggling with his emotions, Inui laid a hand on his shoulder. "Shinji…I care about you. Yes, I would like to explore the more…physical side of our relationship, but you know that I would _never_ pressure you into something that you're not ready for, right?"

Shinji smiled a little and looked back up at Inui. "I know that, Sadaharu. And one day, yes, we will lie around in bed together. But until I stop being so…." Shinji groped for a word. "Scared, I guess, I won't be ready."

"What is it that frightens you about sex, Shinji?"

"The whole act!" Inui had a feeling that, if they weren't on a train, Shinji would be up and pacing. "It's…open and exposed, and nudity in front of someone. And not locker room nude, but _intimate_ with the watching and maybe liking what is seen or maybe not. And then there's the actual _act_ of sex. It sounds painful and degrading and…I don't see how anyone can enjoy it!"

Inui wrapped an arm around Shinji, pulling him closer. "I'll wait for you to be ready, Shinji. I want both of us to want it. I'll wait as long as it takes, I really will." He paused for a minute. "And…I'm sure sex isn't all that bad."

"Do you know from personal experience?" Shinji twisted a little to look up at Inui almost suspiciously.

"No!" It was Inui's turn to turn red. "It's just…I'm sure people wouldn't keep doing it if it felt bad, you know."

"I guess not…." Shinji still looked disturbed, though, and Inui was smart enough not to push it, but just kept holding Shinji close, watching the stops flash overhead. Shinji, in the meantime, took advantage of the quiet to doze off on Inui's shoulder, and Inui just smiled and let Shinji rest.

Finally, though, Inui had to shake him gently. "Shinji? Wake up…this is our stop."

"Our stop?" Shinji blinked and pulled away from Inui slowly, then stretched, arching his body. "Will I get to find out now?"

Inui was able to tear his eyes and mind away from Shinji's display of flexibility long enough to answer, "Very soon. It's going to be hard to keep a secret for too much longer." Standing, Inui pulled Shinji to his feet and they exited the train.

As they exited the station, Shinji looked at Inui curiously. "Where did you take us? The air smells different here then it does at home."

Inui smiled. "I certainly hope it does. Just a few blocks, and you'll see why." Grabbing Shinji's hand, Inui started walking, almost dragging Shinji behind him at first, until he caught up and matched his pace with Inui's.

At first, Shinji was content looking around and taking in the sights, but then a sound reached his ears, almost like a low roaring. "Sadaharu…is that…?"

Inui grinned. "You tell me." They reached the crest of the hill they were walking up, and there below them the ocean was spread before them.

"Oh, Sadaharu…." Dropping Inui's hand, Shinji walked forward until he reached the railing that separated the sidewalk from the sea wall. "It's…wow."

Inui drank in the awed expression on Shinji's face, filing it away in his memory so that he would never forget it. "Have you never seen the ocean before, Shinji?"

"Never," breathed Shinji, still staring. "If we left the city, we went into the mountains. This is…incredible."

"Ahhh…so that's why your mother was so willing to let you go with me." At Shinji's startled look, Inui explained, "Your mother was up when I got to your house this morning. You don't have to be back until your normal curfew, so we have all day here."

_At least that answers the house key thing._ "All day?" Shinji's eyes were shining in happiness as he wrapped his arms around Inui. "I think this is going to be the best day ever, Sadaharu."

Even though it was still too cold to swim, Inui and Shinji still managed to find a way to spend their entire day near the water, or on it, when they spotted a shack that was offering boat trips. No matter what they did, Shinji took complete enjoyment out of it, and Inui enjoyed watching Shinji almost glow with happiness.

They had dinner in a café next to the shore, and as they finished, Inui looked at his watch. "We have time for another walk by the water if you're interested, before we have to go catch our train."

"Of course I'm interested, Sadaharu." Shinji smiled at him.

"Then let's go." Paying the bill on the way out, Inui led Shinji down onto the sand so that they could walk near the waterline, keeping his hand linked with Shinji's as they walked.

Shinji rested his head on Inui's shoulder, unable to stop smiling. "Sadaharu…this has been a perfect day. Thank you so much for sharing this with me."

"Who else would I share it with?" Inui stopped and turned Shinji so they were facing each other. "You're my boyfriend. You're the one that I want to spend time with, and the one that I want to share things like this with." He cupped Shinji's face in one hand, tilting it up. "This day would have been 82 percent less enjoyable without you here with me, Shinji."

Shinji laughed softly. "I'm glad to hear that, Sadaharu. This was my first time, and I'm glad you were the one I shared it with." He blushed a little but kept on talking, eyes never leaving Inui's face. "The same way I want to share…other firsts with you, one day."

Inui smiled and brushed Shinji's windblown hair back out of his face before replying. "When you're ready to share them, I would be honored and pleased to be right there with you."

As Inui looked at Shinji, he gasped as a ray from the setting sun came through the buildings behind them, seemingly silhouetting Shinji in a corona of flames. _Breathtaking…_ he thought to himself, and could not resist leaning down some and capturing Shinji's lips in a passionate kiss.

Shinji wrapped his arms around Inui, pulling him closer as he met the kiss with equal passion, feeling like the world was fading from around him, and he and Inui were the only real things there. His ears filled with the roar of the waves and the pounding of his own heart as Inui's tongue slipped between his parted lips, and Shinji felt himself tremble, heard his moans, and couldn't bring himself to care as he molded his body to Inui's. He wanted to be closer…closer….

Inui felt like he was on fire as he clutched Shinji to himself. The only thing he could see or feel, or _think_ was Shinji, Shinji's lips tangling with his own, Shinji's body pressed against his. He tore his lips from Shinji's and trailed them down Shinji's neck, kissing and sucking gently on the skin that Shinji exposed as he tiled his head back. Inui's blood was burning, and Shinji's moans and whimpers were only fuel for the flame. He felt Shinji's hand slip under his shirt, running over his back, and Inui suddenly wanted nothing more than to press Shinji into the sand and _possess_ him.

"Sadaharu…." Amazingly enough, it was Shinji's voice, breathy and shaky and so desirable that Inui was hurting, that called Inui back to Earth. Panting some, and feeling not a little disappointed, he pulled back from Shinji, putting some space between them.

"Shinji…we can't. I want to, I can't express how much I want to, but…."

The cool air that rushed over Shinji's body at Inui's withdrawal brought his mind back from the haze that it had been lost in. "Oh, god…no…." He took a few deep breaths, letting the evening air cool him down. "We have to go…and I'm not…."

"I'm not, either." Inui kissed his forehead. "We don't have anything we need, and our first time will _not_ be on some beach where anyone can see us. It will be…special. Perfect."

"You romantic, you." Shinji smiled and moved back from Inui a little more, but linked their hands back together. "Maybe we should go get that train now, though."

"I agree." Inui turned and directed them back up the beach to the street stairs. "Because if I kiss you again, I estimate a 67 percent chance that we will forget ourselves and do something that we will regret at a later date."

Shinji was about to argue, but then remembered just how he was feeling and _not_ thinking before and had to agree. "Train, then."

On the way back home, it was Inui's turn to fall asleep on Shinji, exhausted from the combination of being up so early and their day. Shinji kept one eye on the stops and the other on Inui, thinking about the day…and most especially its ending.

_I don't regret getting carried away, Sadaharu. Because now I know that you care enough to not let us get **too** carried away, even though you want me. And…I want you too, one day. _He smiled. _When I'm ready, I promise, I'll be yours._

Shinji rested his head against Inui's and relaxed into him, the crash of the waves still ringing in his ears and the pressure of Inui's lips against his all he could still feel.

--The End--


	18. Celebration

Celebration

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #23. candy

Disclaimer on part 1

Rating: PG-13

* * *

"So, you know that it's my birthday next week, right?"

Shinji looked up from the book he had been reading and just stared at Inui. "Hello to you too, Sadaharu, my day was good, how was yours?"

"I'm sorry." Inui kissed Shinji quickly as he sat down next to him. "Hello, Shinji. I'm fine, and I am glad you are, too."

"See, was that so hard?" Shinji closed his book and put it down, giving Inui his complete attention. "You were saying?"

"Birthday. Next week."

"Oh, that's right." Shinji smiled. "Did you really think that I would forget, Sadaharu? I've already got plans for you, and no, I'm not going to tell you because it's a surprise. Just tell me when you'll be done with your family that day." Shinji blinked. "Or is that the thing? Will you be with them all day? Because that's fine, there's nothing I can't plan around…."

"Shinji." Inui shook his head. "Matter of fact, I'm going to be free all day on my birthday. And of course I want to spend it with you. It's the day **before** my birthday that I'm concerned with right now."

Shinji looked a little confused. "Before? Is something up?"

"Well…you know how my old teammates and I still get together every couple of weeks or so?"

"Of course." Shinji nodded. "Seigaku bonding time. I told you a long time ago that I don't mind, so if it's permission that you're looking for…."

"No, not that." Inui picked up Shinji's hand and laced their fingers together. "One of the things that we do for each other is birthday parties. They're having mine on the second…and I want you to come with me, Shinji."

"Me? To your party?" Shinji blinked. "Are you sure you want me there? I mean, they're your friends, and I don't want to intrude on you and your friends. Will they even welcome someone from a rival school? Because, you know, your classmates graduated, but I still have to deal with three of the people that are going to be there, very soon in fact, and I don't want to cause problems—"

Shinji was cut off when Inui's lips covered Shinji's, Inui's favorite way of quieting Shinji when he got into one of his moods. "You're my boyfriend and I want you celebrating with me," Inui said simply. "It's not like none of them know about us, thanks to Momoshiro's large mouth, and a couple of them have expressed an interest in getting to know you better. But, most importantly? I _want_ you with me."

"Well, if you put it that way…." Shinji smiled and nodded. "Of course I'll be there with you…you'll keep them from eating me alive, right?"

"Thank you." Inui wrapped his arms around Shinji. "This means a lot to me. And don't be silly, none of them would try to eat you. Well, except maybe for Fuji," Inui amended quickly. "But it'll be fine and all will have an enjoyable time, I promise." He nuzzled Shinji's hair. "Want to go do something?"

"Sure," Shinji answered absently, but his mind was still on this party that he allowed himself to be talked into going to. i I can't help but be afraid that this will be a big disaster and…wait, Fuji eats people/i He smiled at Inui, standing and grabbing his tennis bag. "Let's go."

_I hope this isn't going to be as big a disaster as I fear…._

* * *

Shinji was clinging to Inui's hand like a lifeline as they approached Kawamura Sushi. "You know, it's not too late for me to disappear, if you've changed your mind. I can amuse myself for a few hours…."

"No." Inui stopped in front of the sliding door and turned to face Shinji. "I'll say this as many times as it takes for you to believe this. I _want_ you here with me."

"I don't want to embarrass you…."

"You won't. Believe me." Inui smiled and pulled Shinji closer for a kiss.

Just then, then door slid open, and the pair was covered in streamers and confetti. "Happy…birthday…?"

Inui pulled away from Shinji and blinked. "Thank you, Taka. If we can come in now?"

Kawamura sputtered and blushed. "Of…of course!" He backed away from the doorway more quickly than Inui had thought possible.

Shinji just looked at Inui. "Now…what was that you were saying about embarrassment?"

Inui sighed and shook his head. "Let's go in. Now that they know you're here…it's like sharks scenting blood in the water. They won't let you go."

It took all of Inui's strength to get the suddenly-panicked Shinji through the door.

"So." Fuji was the first to approach the two of them, circling Shinji much like the aforementioned shark. "This is the boyfriend that you've been hiding from us, Inui?"

"I haven't exactly been _hiding_ him," Inui pointed out. "You all knew exactly who I was dating." He took a minute to glare in Momoshiro's direction, who gulped and tried to hide behind Echizen. "And it's not like you've never met him before."

"But not in a social setting. Strictly business before this." Fuji looked Shinji up and down. "Very nice, Inui. _Very_ nice."

Shinji felt the sudden need to take a long, hot shower.

"Fuji." Tezuka came up behind Fuji. "I don't think Inui wants you to traumatize Ibu right away."

"You're right, of course." Fuji smiled and tilted his head to the side a little. "I should wait until after dinner, at least."

"Moving on." Inui steered Shinji around the tensai, heading for safer ground. Namely, Oishi and Eiji. "They were worried about you, after the accident at the tournament."

"We were." Oishi smiled at Shinji. "How is your ankle doing now?"

"Much better, that you, Oishi-san. It wasn't as bad an injury as we thought, and it's completely functional and up for anything."

"We're glad to hear that!" Eiji was beaming next to Oishi. "It sucks when good players are injured, especially when it's in doubles. Kamio-kun must be glad that you're fit again."

"I think he is." Shinji was visibly relaxing now. "Not only because he's the team captain, but because we missed playing together."

"Oh, he is? I'm not surprised." Oishi nodded. "You're his vice, I assume?"

Shinji shook his head. "No…Akira wanted me to be vice-captain, but I told him not to. I told him to pick one of the more promising second years, so there would be some continuity after we all graduate. He can be captain, and he'll have to pick his own vice-captain."

"You know, that's a good idea…." Oishi was clearly considering it in his head. "Preparing for the future…maybe we should've done something like that."

"What, are you saying that Kaidoh and I weren't ready for this?" Momoshiro came up to them. "Happy birthday, Inui-sempai…Ibu. Inui-sempai hasn't gotten tired of you, yet?"

Shinji stiffened and glared. Inui beat him to saying anything, though. "And why should I get tired of my boyfriend, Momoshiro? He's made me nothing but happy, and it's going to be a _long_ time before I get tired of him." Inui's glasses glinted as he glared at Momoshiro.

"Sorry, sorry!" Momoshiro backed off. "Wasn't trying to offend you!"

"You don't have to try," Kaidoh hissed from his corner.

"What did you say?!" Within seconds they were fighting, with Oishi and Kawamura trying to break them up.

Shinji glanced over at Inui and said softly, "Does this happen a lot, or did they break out the company insanity for me?"

Inui sighed. "Welcome to my life, Shinji."

It took some doing, but finally everyone was seated and eating. Shinji made sure he was sitting between Inui and Echizen, the two he honestly considered the safest in the room. Food seemed to go a long way towards calming everyone, until Fuji moved from his table to sit across from Shinji. "So, Ibu-kun. How do you feel about wasabi, anyway?"

"I…." Shinji shook his head and tried to look anywhere but at Fuji's partially-opened eyes. "It's good in small doses, I guess."

"Excellent!" Fuji beamed and handed Shinji a sushi roll. "Then you'll love this!"

"Fuji-sempai." Echizen reached out and took the roll. "Maybe Inui-sempai doesn't want you to poison Ibu."

"Oh? Did he want to do it himself? I'm sorry, Inui, I should've thought about your feelings."

Everyone started laughing at that, even Inui was chuckling. Even Tezuka looked like he was considering cracking a smile.

Shinji's face flamed. _I…this is…._ "Nobody is going to poison me!" Shinji managed to choke out as he stood up. "Restroom?"

Kawamura pointed down a short hall. "Second door on the right."

"Thank you." Slipping away from the crowd, Shinji closed himself in the bathroom and took a couple deep breaths. "I knew this was a bad idea," he muttered to himself. "They're all insane, and I'm being exposed to it, and how long before I go insane, too? Or before someone poisons me, or something else like that? I should've just insisted on going home…."

A knock on the door interrupted him. "Ibu? Can I come in?"

"Hmmm?" _Sadaharu would never call me that, so who…?_ "Sure, come in, whoever you are."

The door cracked open, and Eiji's face peeked in. "Are you all right?"

"Is that how it always is out there?"

"More or less." Coming in all the way, Eiji closed the door behind him and hopped up on the sink. "Inui asked us to behave, too. Unfortunately for you, that _is_ behaving for Fuji."

"It is?" Shinji blinked, trying to process that.

"You know, you're missing a lot of fun out there." Eiji smiled. "Inui is ripping Fuji a new one, Momo insulted you somehow, and Kaidoh defended you, so now they're fighting, someone handed Taka a racquet, so he's encouraging whoever he's closest to, Oishi is trying to calm everyone down, and Tezuka and Ochibi are just watching. And calculating laps, I think."

"And where do you fit into this, Kikumaru-san?"

"Don't call me that." Eiji smiled. "Besides, someone had to make sure that you didn't try to slip out the window."

Shinji's eyes went automatically to the window and studied it. "Too small," was his verdict. "Too bad, because now that you've given me the idea…."

Eiji shook his head and jumped back to his feet. "Nope! Too late for that, Ibu-kun." He smiled. "You're ours, now."

"…yours?" Shinji felt like he had missed something major in the past few minutes.

"Of course. You're important to Inui, and Inui is important to us, so therefore, you're important to us."

"You people have a funny way of showing it…."

"Come on. Doesn't _your_ team do things like this?"

"I…no, not really." Shinji thought about it for a minute. "We're not all friends, like all of you are. Some of us, like Akira and I, are but for the most part we just…play together. Tennis is what holds us together. Tennis and Tachibana-san, but since he's in high school, it's mainly tennis, because no matter how good Akira is, he's not Tachibana-san."

"Oh…you're missing a lot, then." Eiji's face dimmed, then brightened. "Then it's a good thing that we've adopted you!"

"A—adopted?"

"Of course! Do you really think that someone that we _don't_ consider one of us could really inspire this much chaos?"

Eiji sounded so matter-of-fact that Shinji found himself believing him. "But—"

Before Shinji could really voice his thought, there was another knock on the door. "Kikumaru? Do you think you'd allow me to see my boyfriend again?"

"Of course, Inui!" Eiji went over to the door and paused before opening it. "We're really not so bad, Ibu-kun. Overwhelming, maybe, but not bad. This was the hardest part. It's only going to get better now." He opened the door. "All yours, Inui!" Ejiji slipped away before either of the other two could comment.

Inui and Shinji just looked at each other for a minute, before Shinji broke the silence. "Sadaharu…what is that in your hair?"

"My hair?" Inui reached up to touch it, then looked at his fingers. "Oh. That would be wasabi."

"How did you get wasabi in your hair?" Shinji wet down a couple paper towels and passed them to Inui. "Or do I not want to know?"

"It…involved Momoshiro and a tray of sushi," was all that Inui would say as he scrubbed at his hair. "And I am under strict orders to keep you here while everyone cleans up." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Shinji."

"According to Kikumaru-san, this seems to be pretty normal."

"It is, but…I'm afraid that the fresh blood interested certain people more than I had accounted for." Inui reached out and drew Shinji close to him. "If you want to leave now, I understand completely."

"Leave?" Shinji looked up at Inui and smiled. "When there's still a party going on out there? Besides, I said I'd be here with you, and here is where I'm going to be. Except, hopefully not in the bathroom the whole time."

"Of course not." Inui both looked and sounded very relieved. "So…you want to try braving it again?"

Shinji kissed Inui quickly. "Keep Fuji-san away from me?"

"If he's smart, he'll stay away on his own." Inui grinned. "Fuji forgot that I know many of his weaknesses, and that I am never unprepared."

"You mean…that bag you brought with you?"

Inui nodded. "I thought people might need an…incentive to behave."

Shinji smiled. "Thank you, Sadaharu." And kissed him again, letting it linger this time.

Inui returned the kiss gladly, breaking it before they could get _too_ involved. "We should go back out now…continue this later?"

"Of course, Sadaharu." Shinji let Inui lead him back into the shop proper, and just gaped as he looked around. "What…?"

The shop looked like nothing had happened. Tezuka was sitting at the counter, watching Kawamura roll some more sushi. Oishi, Eiji, Kaidoh, and Echizen were calmly conversing at one of the tables, and Fuji and Momoshiro…. _Where are they?_

A quick look around, and Shinji spotted them both in a corner, passed out, stacked one on top of the other, and looking like they were closer to dead than living. "What…what happened to them?"

Inui looked a little evil as he spoke one word: "Aozu."

Shinji wisely didn't ask any more questions.

The rest of the party went smoothly for the most part. Fuji and Momoshiro stayed away from Shinji once they recovered, mainly because they were avoiding Inui, and Inui never really left Shinji's side. There was cake, presents, and Oishi got a chance to practice the Heimlich maneuver when Momoshiro and Eiji got into a candy-eating contest.

Finally, though, Kawamura started to clean up the shop, a silent signal to everyone that it was time to head out. Inui had to stay until everyone left, accepting congratulations, but neither he or Shinji minded too much until Oishi, exhibiting one of his rare sparks of wickedness, said, "Everyone has seen Eiji and I together, but only Momoshiro and Echizen have seen you kiss. Don't you think that should change?"

Shinji turned red. "I really don't know…."

Inui shrugged. "If you insist." Bending Shinji backwards some, Inui leaned down and captured Shinji's mouth in a long kiss that Shinji forgot to fight, lost in how good it felt.

They came up for air a few minutes later, just looking at each other and panting slightly.

"Wow." Oishi cleared his throat.

"They're better than _us_, Oishi! We need to go work on that." Eiji dragged Oishi away, waving cheerfully as they walked off.

Slowly, the others scattered, not before expressing appreciation for the show. When it was finally just him and Inui, Shinji let out a sigh and visibly relaxed some. "I don't know if I can take them all again, Sadaharu."

"I say that to myself each time." Inui kissed Shinji's forehead. "Thank you for doing this for me."

"Don't thank me, I actually had fun." Shinji smiled a little. "I don't think Fuji-san will ever be my favorite person, though."

"There are many people who feel that way," Inui assured him as they headed back to Shinji's house.

"At least I'm not alone." Shinji strained in the dark to look at his watch. "It's late. After midnight."

"Is it now? What time did you want to meet up tomorrow…or today, rather?"

"On the early side, but…." Shinji bit his lip. "If you stay the night, that won't be a problem."

"Stay…the night?" Inui looked at Shinji, a little surprised. "Would you be all right with that?"

"I…think so, yes. I can put a futon on the floor for you." He blushed. "I'm not ready to have you in my bed yet, Sadaharu…and especially not with my sisters next door."

"I can understand that." Inui paused. "Can we at least make out on your bed for awhile?"

"Sadaharu!" Shinji smacked Inui, but he was laughing, too.

Inui just smiled. _Shinji…this is the happiest birthday that I've ever had. And it's all because of you. _

--The End--


	19. Sneak

Sneak

By: Liz

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: #25. fence

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters herein. I do not claim to own them, and I am not making any profit off of this. This is just fun in a fandom I enjoy. If you want to sue me for all I'm worth…please do! You're welcome to my student loans and other bills.

Rating: PG

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. There was a death in my family, and that came first.

* * *

Inui knew that he shouldn't do it.

It would be wrong, he told himself. Shinji had been very clear that he could not see Inui today. Between an extended practice in preparation for the city tournaments and a project that he had to work on with Kamio, Shinji had stated unequivocally that he could _not_ see Inui. It would have to wait for tomorrow. Inui _knew_ that. He processed it, understood it, and told Shinji that it was fine.

Yet he was _still_ standing outside the fence that surrounded Fudomine's grounds, contemplating climbing over it.

_I really shouldn't_, Inui thought to himself, debating the pros and cons of his plan. _He said he couldn't, and we're going to talk tonight. It's one day, and I should certainly be able to survive one day without seeing Shinji. But…._

He stared at the fence some more. _I won't stay long. I just want to surprise him, that's all. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? I don't believe so._

Decision made, Inui looked back at the fence again, calculating the best method with which to scale it.

Shinji, of course, had no idea of what was going on.

While Inui was plotting his breaking and entering scheme, Shinji was involved in a game with Ishida. Neither one of them were being serious, using the game more as a training ground to hone some of their skills, but it was serious enough that when Shinji lowered his racquet and let a very easy shot go by, Ishida was confused.

"Ibu? You all right over there?"

"What?" Shinji blinked, then shook his head. "Yeah…just thought I felt something…strange."

"Strange? Like what?"

"Like something's out of place…doesn't belong. But it's silly, so I'm going to just ignore it. Ready to go again?"

"Definitely." They started their rally when, not quite five minutes later, Shinji whipped around to stare at something, Ishida's ball narrowly missing hitting Shinji in the head. "Ibu!! Kamio, get over here!"

Kamio came running. "What? Who's hurt?" He stopped and looked at them. "You both look fine to me…."

"Ibu keeps spacing out. He _will_ get hurt if he doesn't pay attention. You know my shots aren't a joke!" Ishida sounded caught between annoyed and concerned.

Kamio took one a closer look at Shinji and went over to him. "Shinji? Are you all right?"

"I don't know…." Shinji sounded very distracted.

"You don't know? You're not feeling good, or you're hurt, or something?" Now it was Kamio's turn to worry.

"No, nothing like that. I'm fine. I feel fine. Something doesn't feel right, though, but it's not me. It's something else."

Kamio was confused. "Something like what?"

A pause, then: "My Sadaharu senses are tingling."

"Your…what now?" Kamio was trying his hardest not to just laugh at Shinji. On the other side of the net, Ishida was not having that conflict, just outright laughing, but Shinji and Kamio were ignoring him. "I know you didn't just say what I thought you did, but in case you did…explain please?"

"My Sadaharu senses." Shinji said it like everyone should know what it means. "It feels like he's…nearby somewhere, being sneaky. Which he shouldn't be doing because I _know_ that I told Sadaharu that I couldn't see him today, but it still feels like he's lurking somewhere nearby…." Shinji's gaze landed on a group of trees near the court, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Shinji, that's impossible!" Kamio shook his head. "I can see the gate from over where I was. If Inui had made it in here, I would've seen him and told him to go away."

Shinji ignored Kamio, instead moving to the fence closest to the trees. "You might as well come out, Sadaharu. I know you're there."

"You're crazy—" Kamio fell silent as a figure came out from behind a tree.

Inui adjusted his glasses as he approached the fence to stand across from Shinji. "There was only a 16 percent chance that you would have know that I was there."

Shinji smiled. "I know you, you sneak."

Behind Shinji, Kamio was doing his best fish impression, mouth opening and closing, but no sound coming out. Even Ishida was silent, his laughter replaced by shock.

"Why are you here Sadaharu?"

"I just wanted to see my boyfriend. Is that such a crime?" Inui smiled and tried to look innocent.

Shinji, however, knew Inui well enough not to be taken in by it. "I told you, not today! There's a lot I have to do, and I'm sorry, but I thought you could survive a day without seeing me. I said that I'd call you tonight and I meant it, so why are you here?"

"I was in the neighborhood, and…." Inui trailed off when he realized that Shinji wasn't going to accept such a trite excuse. "I missed you," he finally admitted. "I just wanted to see you."

Shinji smiled. "I missed you, too, Sadaharu. Now, go."

Inui blinked. "But…I just got here, and…."

"And you're interrupting our practice." Shinji gestured, indicating the entire team, which had pretty much stopped in its tracks to watch the show. "Plus if I let you stay you'll want to talk after, then you'll try to convince me to do something with you, when you _know_ I promised today to Akira."

Inui tried to pout. "You like him better than me?" Then he frowned, his voice changing, becoming a little more suspicious. "Just what _are_ you doing with him, anyway?"

"Sadaharu, for pity's sake." Shinji threw up his hands, getting frustrated. "I told you already it's a school project, so do _not_ take that tone with me!" He glared a little at Inui. "Take your jealously elsewhere. _You're_ my boyfriend, _you're_ the one I care about, and I am certainly_ not_ going to have wild sex with Akira when I haven't even put out for _you_ yet!"

Complete silence greeted Shinji's outburst.

Finally, Kamio broke the silence. "Ummm…wild sex?"

Shinji blushed, while Inui shot an angry look at Kamio, glasses glowing coldly in the light. "Don't go getting any ideas, Kamio."

"I'm not! What about "straight" do you not understand?" Kamio sighed. "Shinji…just get rid of him. Everyone else…I think this is still tennis practice!" Everyone scurried to follow Kamio's implied order.

Shinji shook his head. "Sadaharu…."

"I know. I'm sorry." Inui reached out to touch Shinji through the fence. "I should have listened to you, and I shouldn't be so jealous."

"Yes, you should've, and no, you shouldn't be." Shinji smiled and moved as close to Inui as the fence would allow. "I am flattered that you stopped by…but next time? Use the gate like everyone else?"

"I will," Inui promised. "I just want to know how you knew I was there."

"Frequent exposure, of course." Shinji grinned.

"Ibu! Say goodbye to the sweetheart now! Game, remember? I was kicking your ass, taking names…this ringing a bell?" Ishida bounced a ball on his racquet.

"You wish!" Shinji shouted back, then turned back to Inui. "Sadaharu…."

"That's my cue to go." Inui smiled and kissed Shinji quickly through the fence. "Still going to call tonight?"

"Definitely." Shinji smiled and kissed Inui again, letting it linger for a few seconds before pulling back. "Now go. Now."

"Yes, Shinji." Inui smiled, then turned and went back the way he had come from, climbing the fence back to the outside.

Shinji watched him go, shaking his head in disbelief. "He could've at least used the gate…."

--The End--


	20. Loyalty

Loyalty

Pairing: Inui/Shinji

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Theme: # 7. superstar

Disclaimer on part 1

Rating: PG-13

Author's Note: Thank you for your understanding and sympathy. Life has calmed down, so I can finish posting now.

* * *

It was a beautiful day. The air was crisp and unusually clear for the Tokyo environs, the sun was shining, the birds were singing…and Inui was a nervous wreck.

Not for himself. He rarely, if ever got nervous for himself. No, this was different. It was the day of the junior high city tournament…and Inui had no idea as to where he should be. With both Fudomine and Seigaku there….

Inui had an attachment to Seigaku. He had played for and with them for three years. He still had friends and teammates there, people who he knew would be fighting their hardest to win their way to the top. By rights, Inui should be there, with the rest of the graduated Regulars, cheering their friends on to victory.

But…Shinji was also playing that day. Shinji who was on Fudomine's team, the team that everyone expected to rise up and go against Seigaku in the day's finals. Inui had no doubts about that happening; both teams were good enough to go to the end and do well. But…where was his place? Rooting for his friends, or rooting for his boyfriend?

Such was Inui's dilemma.

At first it wasn't too bad. The matches were staggered enough that Inui was able to watch one, then the other, with very little conflict. Times between matches, he spent with his former teammates, as both Kaidoh and Kamio were the type of captains that discouraged "outsiders" hanging around their teams during tournament matches. And after having to listen to Fuji and Eiji both complain about being considered outsiders by Kaidoh, Inui was more than happy to slip away and watch Shinji play.

In all, it was shaping up to be an enjoyable day.

But now Inui was staring at the match board. He had seen it coming, predicted the chances of it happening, but hadn't let himself deal with the reality of the situation until that moment.

The final match-up: Seigaku vs. Fudomine.

_Where do I belong_? Inui knew that it was Kaidoh's first big tournament as team captain, and Kaidoh had even expressed to Inui, in his own subdued way, that he was grateful for Inui's support of him. Knowing that, how could Inui _not_ be cheering Kaidoh to victory?

But…there was Shinji. His boyfriend, the person he cared about, was worried about—Inui was still concerned that the ankle that Shinji had hurt would choose the worst possible moment to go out—would be playing, giving his all…and the thought of not being behind Shinji was hurting him more than he could say.

"Where do I belong?" he muttered to himself, continuing to stare at the board. He might've stayed there for the entire match, thus ignoring the whole problem, had he not found himself surrounded by his former teammates.

"Inui." Fuji's smile chilled Inui a little as Fuji spoke. "The match is going to start in a few minutes. We saved you a seat." His eyes opened a little as he continued. "You know that Kaidoh-kun would not want you to miss it."

That statement was greeted by a chorus of agreements, and Inui found himself surrounded by his friends and being herded off to the Seigaku section of the bleachers. _Well, that's it, I guess,_ Inui thought as he took a seat. _Maybe I can still make this work. I can slip away and cheer for Shinji when **he** plays. The rest of the time I'll be right here, wishing Kaidoh luck. _That squared away in his mind, Inui sat back, notebook at the ready, and contrived to enjoy himself and gather some new data.

Second doubles, Inui calculated, would go to Fudomine. Fudomine's Uchimura and Mori were a sold doubles pair, with experience playing at the National level. The pair that Seigaku had up against them, Kaichiro and Katsuo, while fairly solid—a surprise to Inui, who had honestly thought of them as simply part of Echizen's entourage—just did not have the skill and experience to stand up to Fudomine's pair. Still, they did take two games, and Inui had several pages of data at the end of the match that he was going to present to Kaidoh in order to help his up and coming doubles pair blossom even more.

First doubles was a more intriguing match for Inui to watch. Arai—who had _finally_ gotten his Regular's spot—and Momoshiro made a solid combination, and Momoshiro's skill was enough to make up for the holes in Arai's game. Faced against Fudomine's Ishida and Sakurai, Inui wasn't too sure on the surface which pair would end up victorious. Calculating quickly, Inui came up with a 65 percent probability that Seigaku would take the game. And, true to Inui's data, they did, though the margin of the win was much narrower than that of Fudomine's second doubles win.

Third singles was interesting to Inui in that both players were underclassmen that had never played in tournament situations before. Inui didn't even recognize the Seigaku player, and that disturbed him, for he thought that he had known every player on the team at least by sight. The match was solid, if lackluster, and resulted in another win for Seigaku.

Next to Inui, Eiji was practically vibrating with excitement. "One more win, and Seigaku moves on!"

"So does Fudomine," Oishi pointed out, glancing over at Inui. "Both teams will progress to the Regionals."

"Yeah, but we all know that coming in first or second makes a big difference. Mentally, anyway."

"Eiji does have a point." Fuji smiled. "When you come in first, you're more on top of your game, you have the psychological advantage riding in with you."

"Guys, stop," Kawamura pleaded, seeing how tense Inui had gotten. "Second singles is about to begin."

Everyone faced forward as Kaidoh stepped out onto the court. "I guess he's saving Echizen for first." Oishi nodded in approval. As one, they all looked to see who Kaidoh's opponent would be, and Inui's heart sunk.

It was Shinji.

_Why?_ Inui asked himself, ignoring Eiji's and Oishi's concerned looks and Fuji's amused one. _This cannot be possible…but it happened anyway. If I get up now, I'll be questioned as to why I'm not supporting Kaidoh, but if I stay…maybe he won't notice I'm not there._

As he thought that, Inui saw Shinji look out over the bleachers, clearly searching for someone. When he didn't see whoever it was he was looking for on Fudomine's side, he looked concerned and a little confused. Then Shinji's eyes found Seigaku's bleachers.

Inui knew who Shinji was looking for, and it was confirmed when Shinji's eyes landed on Inui. The confusion on Shinji's face faded away into hurt and resignation as he deliberately turned away from Inui and went to the net to shake hands with Kaidoh.

Fuji leaned forward to whisper into Inui's ear, "Well, this is certain to be an…interesting match."

Inui didn't pay too much attention to Fuji. He was too busy feeling his heart break a little. _Please, Shinji…understand. I support you, no matter where I am…. _

Shinji sighed as he spotted Inui snug in the middle of Seigaku's bleachers, surrounded by his friends. _He's there…I hoped he'd…but I shouldn't be surprised. They're probably much more important to Sadaharu than I am. _Sighing again, Shinji looked away and approached the net. He was going to be a good sport, at least.

As they shook hands, Kaidoh looked at Shinji almost sympathetically. "I really thought he'd be over with you, Ibu."

Shinji shook his head. "No, he's with who he thinks is most important. Let's have a good match." Shinji was about to turn away when Kaidoh's hand on his arm stopped him.

"I don't think so, Ibu. You didn't see Inui-sempai the day you got hurt. He was only thinking about you, even though his sense of duty had him stay as long as he did. I'm sure that's the case now." Kaidoh hissed, then continued. "As much as I, or any of us, might wish otherwise, you are Inui-sempai's most important person, and I'm sure that you're the only one he sees."

Shinji stared at Kaidoh for a second. "You think…? Thank you. But I think he also cares about you, too. So, let's give Sadaharu a good game so that, no matter who wins, he can be proud of us both."

Kaidoh started to smile, then blushed, hissed, and fled to take his place in the service box.

The game went by in a blur for Shinji.

He had trained enough with Kamio that his speed was good enough to catch the vast majority of Kaidoh's snake shots. And Kaidoh remembered well Shinji's Spot—the game with Echizen the year before had made an impression on him—so he was being very careful to not allow Shinji to control the ball's spin. Shinji's kick serve was proving to be a bit more of a problem, but anyone who played regularly with Echizen got used to serves aiming for the face rather quickly, and once Kaidoh got a good feel for the speed of Shinji's serves, he was able to deal with them, too.

With their best shots as good as sealed, the game became one of skill and stamina. First Kaido would take a game, then Shinji, and so on. Every time it looked like one would pull ahead, the other would catch up, and before Shinji knew it, they were facing each other in tiebreak.

Taking a drink from his water bottle before tiebreak started, Shinji tried to control his breathing some. _ If this draws out any more, I'm done. Kaidoh's got the edge in stamina, and we both know it. I'm nearing the edge, and Kaidoh's got more to spare. I can't let it get that far. I just wish I knew…. _ Unconsciously, Shinji's eyes wandered over the crowds to Inui…and then he froze.

Inui was looking at Shinji, directly at him as if his eyes hadn't looked anywhere _but_ at Shinji. Shinji could almost _feel_ Inui right there with him, supporting him and urging him forward, telling Shinji to not give up.

_Right, then. I'm going to do this, Sadaharu._ Filled with a new resolve, Shinji went back out on the court, determined to earn the victory.

Shinji wasn't even aware of what had happened. One minute, he was walking back out onto the court, and the next, he was hearing the referee announcing "Game and match to Ibu of Fudomine!"

He blinked. "I…won?"

Kaidoh snorted, already at the net. "Yeah, you won. Now get over and shake hands so Echizen can win his game and stop complaining."

Shinji tried not to laugh at that as he shook Kaidoh's hand and left the court. He exchanged some words with Kamio, but didn't really process them, pausing only to put his racquet back in his bag, then he wandered away from his team, completely ignoring the match starting behind him.

He leaned back against a tree, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths. He hadn't even opened his eyes, when someone was on him, kissing him like the world was about to end. Shinji's first instinct was to fight, but then he recognized the taste, smell, and _presence_ of Inui, and fell into the kiss, his hands roaming over Inui's back eagerly.

Finally, Inui had to pull back for breath, but he didn't let go of Shinji. "You," he panted, "were amazing, Shinji."

"Was I?" Shinji blushed a little. "I don't even remember it…I saw you sitting over there, and I thought that you didn't care, or that you wanted me to lose or something, but Kaidoh said you didn't, so—"

"Kaidoh was right," Inui interjected. "I may have been sitting with them, I may have been part of Seigaku once, but once you walked out onto that court, all I could see was you. You were my star. Even though you were playing Kaidoh, I only wanted you to win."

Shinji smiled. "I did it for you, Sadaharu. I wanted to show you that I could."

"And you did." Inui kissed him again, Shinji kissing back and encouraging the kiss deeper. Inui pressed Shinji against the tree a little more and lifted him some, so that they were at an equal height. Inui's hands went to Shinji's hips, but before Inui could do any more, the sound of cheering broke through their haze.

Inui lowered a now-panting Shinji back to the ground gently, then ran his fingers through Shinji's hair. "It sounds like it's over."

"It does…I wonder if Akira actually won?"

Inui chuckled softly. "There was only a 32 percent chance of that happening, but if Kamio winning makes you feel better, I hope he did. Anyway…you should go back for the closing ceremony now."

"I know." Shinji smiled and kissed him quickly again. "Wait for me?"

"Always." Inui smiled as Shinji ran off after another kiss, watching him go. "Shinji…I guess I did the right thing after all."

--The End--


	21. Anchor

Anchor

Theme: #13. excessive chain

Disclaimer is on part 1

Rating: PG

* * *

Shinji was lost in thought. This in and of itself was nothing new. Shinji spent a lot of time thinking, most of it in fact, so saying that Shinji was thinking was kind of like saying that water is wet. Extremely obvious and not worth mentioning.

Even Shinji's topic of choice wasn't all that surprising. When he had nothing else to think about—and, nine times out of ten, when he _did_ have something else to think about—Shinji's thoughts naturally turned towards his boyfriend. However, it was rare that Shinji sat down with the express purpose of thinking about Inui, and that was what Shinji was doing at that moment.

There had been so much going on, with projects and practices, and the city tournament, that Shinji hadn't had a chance to process some things in his head yet, and lying on the grass soaking up some sun seemed the perfect opportunity to do that. At least, Shinji thought, there were _worse_ places to be thinking in.

He sighed as he watched some fluffy clouds skip across the sky. _I guess we're really…official now. He's my boyfriend, he's called me his boyfriend, I've met his closest friends, hell, he's even rooted for me against **Kaidoh** of all people. It really seems like he is serious about me, about us…but what does that mean?_

Shinji rolled over so that he was on his stomach and started playing with the grass. _Even if he really is serious about me, should I let him be? Sadaharu's got a future ahead of him…he can reach for so many things, do almost anything, while I'm chained down here. There's only so much I can do to break out of this mold. Maybe I should be setting Sadaharu free, before he gets too entangled in my chains. _

He sighed as he thought about all of the various dreams that he'd had in his life. Some were impossible. Like the time when he was six and decided that he wanted to be a king. Though that _was_ a bit better than when he was five and wanted to be a princess. Aside from those dreams, though, Shinji's thoughts for his future had always been kind of…normal. Graduate college, find a stable job somewhere—maybe teaching, he thought he would like that—and be with the person he loved. Nothing different from the lives that hundreds of thousands of people were aspiring to and living.

_But Sadaharu is different. He wants to **do** things, things beyond what is here. Researcher, sports medicine…even joining with the space agency! All those things he's mentioned maybe doing with his life…and where does that leave a relationship from now? Maybe I shouldn't be letting him get too serious about me. I do nothing for him but hold him down, hold him back. Maybe I should be setting him free right now…it'll hurt, yes, but won't it hurt less in the long run if he's just able to put…this behind him as a youthful mistake..._

Shinji sighed and put his head down onto his arms, trying to stop the direction of his thoughts. They kept going, though, getting darker and darker, until….

"Shinji? Are you all right? Are you hurt?" Inui had been expecting to find Shinji there, but not quite in this state. "Did something happen to you? Did someone do something to you?" He ran a hand through Shinji's hair and down his back, willing Shinji to talk to him.

"Sadaharu…." Shakily, Shinji looked up at Inui. "Am I chaining you down?"

"Are you…what, now?" Inui blinked. "Shinji…what are you…?"

"Am I holding you back? Am I just being selfish, chaining you here with me when you could be doing better things, and with people better suited to you?"

"Oh, Shinji…no." Inui pulled at Shinji until he was sitting upright and propped against Inui's chest. "You don't hold me back…you keep me grounded. Without you, I might lose focus of what's real and important and lose myself, like my parents have. You're not chaining me down; you keep me anchored."

Inui shifted so that he could look into Shinji's eyes. "There is _no one_ better for me," he said, slowly and deliberately. "How can there be, when you complete me?"

"Sadaharu…I…." Before Shinji could say anything else, Inui leaned down and kissed him gently.

"Don't doubt us…don't doubt yourself. If anyone is being held back, it's _you_…but when you're with me, I don't think I care."

"You're the only one I want holding me, Sadaharu." Shinji finally smiled, and pushed up to kiss Inui soundly.

Inui tightened his grip around Shinji. "And I'm never letting go."

--The End--


	22. Experimental

Experimental

Theme: #10. #10

Disclaimers are on part 1.

Rating: PG

* * *

Inui was leaning against the gate at the entrance of Fudomine, waiting for Shinji to come out. He had learned his lesson, and was willing to wait, but he was also resisting the urge to fidget. Instead, Inui looked at his watch for what seemed like, to him, the hundredth time since he had gotten there. _He should be out by now…what's keeping him? Did something happen?_

Just as Inui was about to go in looking for Shinji, he heard a familiar voice approaching the gate. "…only two players that we've seen before on that team, Akira. But Hyotei still produces powerful players, with their system. You still have to be careful.

"I know," Kamio grumbled. "Their team, and their money, and their snobbishness…oh, it's _you_."

Since there was only one person that Kamio reserved that particular tone of voice for, Shinji didn't even have to look to see who Kamio was referring to. "Akira, Sadaharu's going to think that you don't like him. And that's not true at all; you told me that—"

"Never mind what I told you!" Kamio turned a bit red. "We'll continue this tomorrow, Shinji. I think I have to be…anywhere but here right now." With a wave, Kamio was off and running.

Inui wrapped an arm around Shinji's shoulders. "I'm almost beginning to think that Kamio likes you, and is jealous of me," he commented mildly.

"Akira _is_ jealous of you." Seeing the look on Inui's face, Shinji hastily continued. "Not like that! He doesn't like me like that. Akira really does like girls. Or, a girl. But that girl is still waffling between him and Momoshiro, so he doesn't have anyone, and his best friend does and…." Shinji sighed. "He misses spending time with me. He wants what we have for himself. That's all."

"I can see that," Inui conceded. "Maybe I should let you spend more time with him?"

"It would be nice. I mean, I love being with you, but he was my best friend long before we were anything more than two bodies in the same city. Akira means a lot to me."

Inui nodded. "Then we'll work on that. But not today. Today I have something to share with you."

"Oh? Shinji was curious. "What's that?"

"Not here." Inui grinned. "Come home with me?"

"I…I don't know…."

"Shinji." Inui turned Shinji so that they were facing each other. "I promise you that I'm not going to try anything that you're not ready for. It's just that what I want to share has to be done at home, so…if you really don't want to, though, that's fine."

"No. I want to. I'll come with you." Shinji smiled. "Lead the way, please."

Inui took Shinji's hand and started towards his home.

Shinji hadn't been sure what he was expecting of Inui's home, but he hadn't been expecting to have Inui stop in front of an apartment building. "An apartment?"

"Yes." Inui sighed a little. "My parents decided that they were too busy to maintain a home, so they decided to keep us in an apartment. It's a nice apartment," he added, almost defensively.

"I never said it wasn't!" Shinji backed up a little. "Of course…it would help some if I actually could see it…."

"Of course." Inui smiled and took Shinji's hand again. "Come on up."

A short elevator ride later, and Inui was letting Shinji into the apartment. "Make yourself at home," he said, disappearing into the kitchen.

Shinji wandered around the living room, looking at everything._ It's so…sterile,_ he thought to himself, feeling a little concern for Inui's childhood. _What must it have been like, to grow up like this? No laughing siblings, no present mother or father…it feels so cold…. _

"Shinji?" He turned around to see Inui standing behind him, two glasses in his hands. "Is everything all right?"

"It's fine." Shinji went over and kissed Inui's cheek quickly. "What do you have there?"

Inui handed one of the glasses to Shinji. "I want you to try this for me. That's all."

Shinji eyed the contents of the glass suspiciously, a dozen half-forgotten conversations coming back to him. "Sadaharu…what is this?"

"Something I've been working on. Aozu Remix #10."

"Aozu…remix…." Shinji tried to hand the glass back to Inui. "Oh, no! I've been told about this stuff. Plus I saw it in action. None of it was flattering."

"Shinji, please." Inui was almost begging him. "I've been working on it, removing the…less pleasant side effects. You know I wouldn't give you something that would hurt you on purpose, right?"

"Well…." Shinji stared down into the glass. It _looked_ relatively safe…. "It doesn't look too bad, and you are my boyfriend, which means that you probably wouldn't do anything to hurt me, and I really should trust you so…bottoms up." With that, Shinji saluted Inui with his glass and drank the liquid down.

Nothing happened for a moment. Then Shinji twitched.

All of the color drained from Shinji's face, and his eyes began to water. "Sa—" was all Shinji got out of his mouth before he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Shinji!" Inui moved Shinji up on to the couch, then ran to fetch a glass of plain water, before sitting back down next to him. "I thought…there was only a 21 percent chance that any loss of consciousness should have occurred…." Inui reached for a notebook that was sitting nearby. "The balance must not be right yet…."

"…only?" From the couch, Shinji blinked and tried to sit up. Instantly, Inui was helping Shinji up and handing him the new glass. "Drink it," Inui urged him. "It's just water."

"Anything to get the taste out of my mouth…." Eyeing the glass suspiciously, Shinji sipped at the water. "So…what were you saying about improvements?"

"I _have_ improved on the recipe," Inui said absently, scribbling some things down in his notebook. "The episode of unconsciousness lasted 3.2 minutes, down from the last trial of 5.7 minutes. No choking or seizures…."

"Sadaharu!!" Shinji was appalled. "What are you trying to do, kill someone?"

"No…." Inui had the grace to sound guilty as he continued. "I'm trying to create the perfect health beverage."

"You call _that_ health?" Shinji shook his head and stood up. "I think it's time for me to go home now, Sadaharu."

"Shinji! You…you're not leaving me…are you?" Inui had never heard himself sound so uncertain and scared before.

"Over something like this? Of course not. Though, that might change if you ever give me something like that again." Shinji smiled a little. "I _am_ a little upset right now, though. You do _not_ use me as a test subject, Sadaharu. Ever."

"I won't," Inui said, willing to promise just about anything as long as Shinji didn't break up with him.

"I'm still going to go home, though. I'm going to go home, possibly call Akira and rant about what happened, then I will completely forgive you and call you later as if nothing happened. But for right now, I don't want to be in the same room as you and that…stuff." Shinji shuddered a little at the memory.

"Can I…walk you home, at least?" Inui was still upset, and he didn't even bother to try and conceal it in his voice.

"Oh, Sadaharu." Shinji went over to Inui and kissed him firmly. "It's not the end of the world. I'll probably forgive you by the time I leave the building, but I need to make the point that you can't do whatever you want to me. Do you understand?"

"I do," Inui said reluctantly, giving Shinji a quick kiss. "You will call me tonight?"

"I promise." Shinji smiled, kissed Inui again, then headed out the door.

Inui was left staring at the other glass of Aozu that he had poured, then went into the kitchen and poured it down the drain. "Back to the drawing board, I guess. And there's one less person to taste test." He shook his head. "It's almost enough to make me give up doing this at all. Almost."

Inui grabbed his notebook and went into his room to work on adjusting the recipe for Aozu Remix #11.

--The End--


	23. Nursemaid

Nursemaid

Theme: #18. "say ahh..."

Disclaimers are on part 1

Rating: PG-13

* * *

"Sadaharu…you don't look so good…."

"I feel fine, Shinji, really, I do." Inui coughed then, belying his statement.

Shinji just shook his head and dragged Inui up off the park bench. "If you're getting sick, the evening air won't do you any good. I'm taking you home and putting you to bed."

"Oh?" Inui grinned even as he swayed a little. "And what will you do with me when you—" A coughing fit interrupted him. "Get me there," he finished a little weakly.

"Tuck you in, take your temperature, and feed you medication." Shinji steered Inui out of the park and towards his apartment. "And see if you have any soup in that prepackaged mess you call a pantry."

"There's nothing wrong with our food supply," Inui protested, trying to fight Shinji off but finding himself unable to do so. "Everything in there is nutritionally balanced, designed for convenience and easy preparation…."

"And for a single person to be able to handle." Shinji sighed. "I'm going to have to make you have dinner at my house one night, so you can see how a real family does it. Talking, arguing, laughing, and food that didn't come from a box." He pulled Inui into the apartment building and onto the elevator. "Keys, please?"

"Here." Inui officially gave up as he handed Shinji his keys, turning over all control of his well-being to his boyfriend.

"Good Sadaharu." Shinji got the door unlocked and the two of them inside. "Now go get changed and into bed, please."

"Do I get a treat, at least?" Inui rolled his eyes as he dragged himself off to his room. _All right, I'm not feeling my best, but I am **not** that sick. _ As he changed, another fit of coughing made Inui see stars, and he had to sit quickly before he fell over. _Okay, maybe I am, but does he have to act like it_

Meanwhile, Shinji was in the bathroom, raiding the medicine cabinet. "Yes, you'll _not_ be tied down to the bed by me!" Shinji shouted in response to Inui, then continued sorting through the medical supplies muttering to himself as he did so. "Thermometer, don't need bandages or gauze, iodine? Who still uses iodine, anyway? Cough medicine, stomach medicine, peroxide, aspirin...sutures? What kind of injuries does this family get anyway?" Shaking his head, Shinji gathered up the things he _did_ need and headed back to Inui's room. "Are you decent in there?"

"Does it matter if you're just going to tie me to the bed?" Inui grinned up at Shinji from where he was, in fact, dressed in sweats and in bed.

"Well, yes." Shinji smiled and started arranging things on Inui's nightstand. "I'd hate for you to get chilly or something. Now say ahhh." Shinji picked up the thermometer and held it in front of Inui's mouth.

"Yes, mother." Inui decided that arguing would get him nowhere except coughing more, and he obediently opened his mouth so that Shinji could shove the thermometer in.

"Well, if your mother was around, she could be doing this, and not me." Shinji shook his head. "Keep that in there while I see if you have soup, or something that resembles it."

Inui repressed the urge to sigh and resigned himself to staring at the ceiling for the next three minutes.

Shinji returned just as the three minutes were up. "I'm surprised," he said as he took the thermometer out of Inui's mouth. "You have miso _and_ chicken in there. Hmmm…bit of a fever." He handed Inui some aspirin and the water. "Take this, then some cough medicine."

Inui took the pills as Shinji poured the cough medicine into the dosing cup. "How did you get so good at this," he asked curiously.

"Good at what?" Shinji took the glass from Inui and handed him the cough medicine.

Inui wisely downed the cough medicine before elaborating. "So good at…well, this." He gestured at Shinji's actions. "Taking care of someone who might be sick."

"Is sick," Shinji corrected. "And I have little sisters, remember? I can't count the number of times I've sat up with one, or both of them."

"You're a good brother." Inui wondered what that must be like, having someone to take care of you. "What did you do with them?"

"It depended on the illness and the sister. I've done everything from read the same story thirty times in a row to playing dolls and ponies with them." Shinji blushed a little as he admitted that. "Rei-chan is very independent. She'll want to try and do things for herself. Rumi-chan is different. She likes me to get into bed with her and cuddle."

"Now that sounds like a wonderful idea." Inui coughed a little, then continued. "Would you cuddle with me, Shinji?"

Shinji blushed redder. "But...your soup, and is there even enough room? I don't know…."

Inui smiled. "I'm not really hungry right now. I'm more tired. And the bed is plenty big enough. You don't take up a lot of space." Inui patted the bed next to him. "I promise that I won't try anything, Shinji. I just…want to be held."

"Well…if that's all…." Shinji sighed and gave in, crawling into bed next to Inui, pulling up the covers, and wrapping his arms around him. "Is this good?"

"Perfect." Inui snuggled a little closer to Shinji and kissed Shinji's chest through his shirt. "Thank you for doing this for me, Shinji."

"Of course, Sadaharu." Shinji kissed Inui's forehead. "I just want you to rest and get better. Being sick is horrible, I know."

"Mmmm…." Inui closed his eyes and silence reigned for several minutes. Then: "Shinji?"

"Yes, Sadaharu?"

"Tell me a story?"

--The End--


	24. Ice

Ice

Theme: #19. red

Disclaimers on part 1

Rating: R

* * *

Shinji was frozen, rooted to the ground where he stood, eyes fixed on a scene in front of him. _I know this isn't what it looks like…I **know** it…. _

It had become the habit of recent weeks for Inui to meet Shinji at Fudomine's gate after school, and from there they'd decide what to do. However, for the past several days, Inui had been asking Shinji to meet him back at their bench in the park, as he was working on a project after school, and it was just easier that way for Inui. Shinji had agreed, and though Inui had beat him there every day, Shinji had never though anything more about it. And then, when Shinji's practice had let out early, Shinji raced off to the park, looking forward to beating Inui there and surprising him.

It had never occurred that Shinji that Inui was always there first because he had been meeting someone _else_ there.

Shinji stayed hidden behind the tree as he watched the stranger with Inui. They were wearing the same school uniform, but he looked somehow…familiar to Shinji, which he found odd as he had never met of Inui's current classmates, and come to think of it, shouldn't that be a little suspicious, and, really….

Shinji shook his head and forced himself to _focus_ and not retreat into the usual ramblings that he had always used to hide from things before. No. He was going to observe the situation _before_ he went jumping to conclusions.

Though what Shinji was seeing really wasn't something that he'd consider very heartening.

Shinji had long known that Inui was on the remote side, when it came to touching and being touched. Inui had a personal space bubble that was seemingly a mile wide, and there were very few people that Inui let into it on a regular basis. In fact, Shinji could only think of two people that Inui seemed completely comfortable being touched by—himself and Kaidoh.

If that was the case…then why was Inui letting this new person touch him and lean into his personal space like that?

Shinji again studied the interloper that was sitting next to Inui. On the surface, to Shinji, he bore a superficial resemblance to Fuji. Brown hair and eyes that never seemed to open…though, this stranger didn't seem to be sporting the constant smile of Fuji's. But when he _did_ smile, it was always in response to something Inui had said or done…and worse, to Shinji, Inui was smiling and laughing back, and actively participating in the touching.

Shinji had never seen Inui so relaxed before…except with him…so, maybe….

_No! I'm not going to think that! He…he wouldn't **do** that to me. He's too…honest, and straightforward to do that to me…right? Of course! There **has** to be another explanation for this…hey! Get your hands off of **my** Sadaharu! He is **not** yours to touch…and why are you leaning over him like that? You don't need to be **that** close to him to see those papers…._

Shinji took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm down some. _Focus, Shinji. Any minute now, Sadaharu is going to tell him to back off. Sadaharu cares about **you**, not some random person who he probably shares interests and goals with, and…I'm not helping myself, am I?_

Shinji watched for a couple more minutes, and, just as he was about to storm over and give them _both_ a piece of his mind, Inui looked at his watch and frowned. Shinji saw him say something to the other boy—though he was too far away to tell or hear what—and the other packed up his papers, smiled at Inui, then patted Inui's leg and walked away.

All Shinji could think was, _Why was Sadaharu frowning? Would he rather the other stayed and I went?_

Shinji watched as his watch counted down the minutes until his normal arrival time, getting himself back under control, then plastered a smile on his face as he moved out from under the trees. "Beat me here again, Sadaharu?"

Inui stood and smiled as Shinji approached. "I just got here a couple minutes ago, myself. I'm glad to see you, Shinji." He drew Shinji into a hug, then kissed him.

Because Inui's eyes were closed, he didn't see Shinji's face and eyes become clouded with hurt. And, if Shinji's answering kiss seemed a bit less happy and passionate than usual, Inui didn't seem to notice or comment on it.

The next few days followed the same pattern.

Shinji shamelessly lied to Kamio, saying that he had to leave practice a little early for the next few days because of a family obligation. He had a feeling that Kamio suspected that something else was going on, but he let Shinji go without question, something that Shinji was extremely grateful for.

Shinji would hide himself in the same clump of trees, and watch Inui and the other boy get more and more familiar with each other. To Shinji's eyes, they seemed to be touching more, and, if he were in the mood to copy his boyfriend's data-gathering ways, would say that that general amount of space between them had been _decreasing_.

And Shinji got more and more upset each day.

_I need to talk to him soon,_ Shinji mused, watching them. _Sadaharu knows something's wrong with me, and it's only a matter of time before he asks me. I need to confront him with this, first. I need to…. _ Shinji's train of thought ground to a halt as he caught sight of a new scene being played out in front of him.

A stray breeze had apparently blown some of Inui's loose papers up so that they were caught in the branches of a bush that was right behind the bench, and the other boy was gathering them up. However, instead of doing the normal thing in Shinji's mind and getting _up_ off the bench, he was basically straddling Inui and reaching over Inui's head to get the papers loose.

"That's it," Shinji muttered, starting forward. "That's _it_--" Glancing up again, Shinji almost fell forward, feeling the blood in his veins turn to ice.

The other boy had apparently slipped or something, because now he was very literally straddling Inui's lap, their faces close together. He saw Inui's lips move, then the other one was leaning forward, his lips pressing against Inui's….

Shinji saw red.

He stormed forward, equal parts anger and pain flowing through him. He heard Inui's voice, though he couldn't process the words, saw Inui move the other one off of him as Shinji approached.

Shinji ignored Inui, though. All of his attention was focused on the other, who, to his credit, looked a little concerned. Shinji stopped in front of the other, sizing him up…then pulled back with his right hand and punched him in the jaw.

Shinji was very pleased when the other went sprawling out on the ground. _Bet he didn't think someone my size could do that…. _

"Shinji!" Inui jumped to his feet, moving between him and the boy on the ground. "What—why did you do that to Renji?"

"_Why_?" Shinji glared at him. "Do you think I'm stupid, Inui? I've seen you with him, for almost a week now…a project, sure. Did you have to bring your new _boyfriend_," Shinji spat out the word like it tasted bad, "to _our_ spot?"

"Shinji, it's not like that—"

Shinji cut Inui off. "Renji, so that's his name. Does he kiss as good as I do? Does he make you happier? Why didn't you just _tell_ me that you wanted someone else? Why the lying?"

Inui looked tired and defeated as he replied, "I shouldn't have kept this from you, true, but it's not what you think it is."

"Inui—" Shinji ignored how Inui flinched when he used his family name rather than his given, "what was it, then? You were touching him so much…please, tell me what you were doing with him. Tell me why you had to hide it." Shinji crossed his arms and leaned back, waiting for an answer.

"We were really working on a project. Renji…he's an old friend. Please, Shinji, I know I shouldn't have lied to you, but…."

"But you did," Shinji filled in when it became apparent that Inui wouldn't or couldn't complete his sentence. "Inui…how can I trust you?"

"Please, Shinji!" Inui reached out and grasped onto Shinji's shoulders, desperation clear in his face and voice. "I don't know what you saw, but it wasn't what you think, and I'm so sorry, please forgive me!"

"You kissed him, Inui." Shinji's voice sounded remote even to him, as if it was coming from a distance. "With the same lips that kissed me, that told me that you didn't want anyone else, you kissed him. And you've been lying to me…." He sighed. "I can't. It's over, Inui. We're over."

He pulled out of Inui's grip. Inui tried to protest, but Shinji cut him off. "Congratulations, Inui. You were my first kiss, my first boyfriend…and the cause of my first broken heart. I hope it was worth it for you."

He could hear Inui protesting, but Shinji ignored it as he turned and walked away.

--The End--


	25. Shatter

Shatter

Theme: #9. dash

Disclaimers are on part 1.

Rating: R

Notes: This takes place contiguous with and just after Ice. Time to see Inui's POV and just what was really happening.

* * *

Inui was smiling some as he scribbled down some calculations on the paper in front of him. "Tomorrow or the next day, this project should be over with," he said. "And I'll be glad to see the last of it."

"I think I agree with you, Sadaharu," said Renji, sitting next to him, looking over Inui's shoulder at their work. "This has been very tiring, to say the least. You made a mistake right there." Leaning over Inui, Renji tapped a place on the paper."

"Oh. Sorry." Inui erased the number and put the correct one in. "My mind isn't all here, I'm afraid."

"Soon, Sadaharu." Renji smiled a little. "Then you can have your life back…until the next project, anyway."

"I just wish that a meteorology project didn't mean so much time just…sitting and staring." Inui sighed a little. "At least it never rained, though that might've made the data more exciting."

"Data is data. I don't think it cares if it is exciting or not," Renji pointed out, moving a little closer to Inui. "Is the breeze picking up?"

"I think so, better—no!" Inui made a grab for some papers that blew off of his lap and behind him. "Tell me that they didn't go far?"

"They didn't," Renji confirmed, looking over his shoulder. "Just into the bush…hold on to the rest, and I'll get those." Moving carefully, Renji kneeled up on the bench and moved over Inui, reaching into the bush behind them.

Inui had to fight hard not to blush at the new proximity of their bodies. _Good thing that Shinji isn't here to see this…._

"Almost…have them all…." Above him, Renji was straining to reach a paper just beyond his reach. Grasping the corner of it, Renji was about to proclaim his victory, when he slipped and was sent sprawling over Inui, knocking the air out of them both.

Inui just panted for a second, as he had caught Renji's knee in his stomach when Renji went down. "Good thing I was here to break your fall."

"What breaking? You're so bony that I think falling on the ground may have been softer."

Inui had to grin at that, though the grin faded a little as Renji moved closer to him, rather than farther away. "Renji…?"

"I know we're different people now, Sadaharu, than we used to be. You have someone you care about, and I'm happy for you, and I have someone that I want. We can never be, but I need to do this, otherwise I'll be wondering all of my life…." Renji leaned closer and lightly kissed Inui, then pulled back.

"Well…I guess that you don't have to wonder anymore, Renji," was all that Inui could say as he moved Renji off of him. Honestly, the kiss had left him feeling more than a little cold, and as he was looking for the nicest way to tell Renji this, a black and purple blur caught his eye. "Shinji?"

Shinji ignored Inui though, going straight for Renji. Inui thought he saw a glimpse of fear in Renji's eyes just before Shinji hauled back and punched Renji sending him flat back onto the ground.

"Shinji!" Inui was floored as he jumped up and slipped between the seething Shinji and Renji, trying to keep Shinji's attention on him. _I didn't know that Shinji could hit like that…._ "What—why did you do that to Renji?" Inui paled a little as a thought crossed his mind. _He didn't see…did he?_

"_Why_?" Shinji's glare was ice and glass, and it cut Inui to the bone. "Do you think I'm stupid, Inui? I've seen you with him, for almost a week now…a project, sure. Did you have to bring your new _boyfriend_ to _our_ spot?"

Inui winced at the pain in Shinji's words._ **Boyfriend?** He can't think that…. _"Shinji, it's not like that—" he tried to explain.

Shinji talked right over him, though, seemingly determined to get it all out. "Renji, so that's his name. Does he kiss as good as I do? Does he make you happier? Why didn't you just _tell _me that you wanted someone else? Why the lying?"

Inui realized just then how deeply this was hurting Shinji, and he felt more guilt then than he had ever thought possible. "I shouldn't have kept this from you, true, but it's not what you think it is."

"Inui." Inui flinched as he realized that Shinji was calling by his family name, like they barely meant anything to each other. _No! I'm Sadaharu, damn it! Don't call me that!_ "What was it, then? You were touching him so much…please, tell me what you were doing with him. Tell me why you had to hide it." Shinji crossed his arms and looked at Inui, making Inui feel like Shinji was demanding an answer with his eyes.

"We were really working on a project. Renji…he's an old friend. Please, Shinji, I know I shouldn't have lied to you, but…." _Why did I lie to you? Why didn't I just **tell** you why I was bringing someone else here? Why didn't I insist on a spot that wasn't **ours**? _ Suddenly, Inui was putting together the pieces that he thought Shinji was, and he could see why Shinji was so coldly furious.

"But you did. Inui…how can I trust you?"

_Because you can! Because I care about you—I love you so much, and it's hurting me to know that I hurt you…._ "Please, Shinji!" Inui grabbed Shinji's shoulders and pulled him closer, desperate to convince Shinji of his sincerity. "I don't know what you saw, but it wasn't what you think, and I'm so sorry, please forgive me!" _I feel like I might die if you don't…._

"You kissed him, Inui." Shinji's voice sounded so empty to Inui, like something in Shinji had died. "With the same lips that kissed me, that told me that you didn't want anyone else, you kissed him. And you've been lying to me…." Shinji sighed. "I can't. It's over, Inui. We're over."

_**NO!**_ "Shinji, please, don't—"

Inui stopped as Shinji forcibly pulled away from him. "Congratulations, Inui. You were my first kiss, my first boyfriend…and the cause of my first broken heart. I hope it was worth it for you." He turned away from Inui.

"Shinji, no! Please…I never…it wasn't…it's _you_ that I care about!" But Shinji didn't turn around, didn't even acknowledge Inui's words as he kept walking away from Inui, back ramrod-straight as if he was trying not to break, but not quite succeeding. _I…broke him…._

Inui fell to his knees, pulling off his glasses to wipe at his eyes. _How…did this happen? A couple words not said, a couple actions misinterpreted, and suddenly, everything is lost…._

"Sadaharu." Inui felt Renji's hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Sadaharu. If I had know he was there, I never would've…."

"No." Inui sighed and cleared his throat, feeling like there was a boulder caught in it. "It's just as much my fault. I never told Shinji what we were doing, and where…this is our spot, did you know that? So much happened here." He pointed to a clearing just off to the side. "Our first kiss was over there. On this bench, we became official, agreed that we were the only ones we wanted to see…." He choked. "What happened, Renji?"

"You love him…and I think that he loves you, for him to have been that hurt over it…and that motivated to punch." Ruefully, Renji rubbed the forming bruise on his jaw, and Inui couldn't help but feel a bit of glee that Shinji _had_ managed to hurt Renji like that. "What do you want, Sadaharu? Are you content to just let it go like this? Are you willing to let Ibu go forever?"

"No…."

"Then go after him. Go and explain himself, and _make_ him listen to you." Renji smiled a little. "There's a 63 percent chance that he will listen to you once he calms down a little. I don't think he wants to let go so easily, either."

"This better not be the one time that your data is wrong, Renji." Slowly, Inui got back to his feet and gazed off into the distance in the direction that Shinji had taken off in.

"It's not. Go on, Sadaharu. I'll take care of the project and your things. Just get your boyfriend back."

"Thank you, Renji." Inui tried to smile, then gave up and took off running after Shinji, running faster than he ever had in his life…because nothing else had ever been more important.

As he ran, Inui thought about Shinji—their dates, their kisses, just _being_ with Shinji and how…warm it made Inui feel. He wouldn't—no, he _couldn't_ go through any more of his life without that feeling.

_I'm going to find you, Shinji. I'm going to find you and sit you down and make you believe me…and believe how much I love you. I should've told you that long before now, should've told you so much…and now we're both paying the price..._

Inui kept running.

--The End--


	26. Help

Help

Theme: #21. violence; pillage/plunder; extortion

Disclaimers are on part 1.

Rating: R

* * *

Shinji had no idea where he was going. All he knew was that he wanted to be _away_. Away from Inui and his "friend", away from the pain, the heartache….

Shinji wanted to be away from himself.

Almost without knowing it, Shinji found himself on Kamio's block. "I wanted to go home," he muttered, "but maybe Akira can help me stop feeling…it's worth a try…." Decision made, Shinji went up Kamio's walk to knock on the door.

When Kamio opened his door, the _last_ thing that he had expected to find was Shinji on the doorstep, looking like someone had died. "Shinji! What happened to you?"

"I…he…it…." Shinji swallowed, then, for the first time since that moment, allowed himself to start to cry.

"Shit!" Kamio dragged Shinji into his room and away from any potential prying eyes. Sitting Shinji down onto his bed, Kamio sat next to him. "Shinji…talk to me, please."

Shinji looked up at Kamio with dead eyes. "It's over, Akira."

"What is?"

"We are. Me and Sada—Inui." Shinji took a deep breath and wiped his eyes, trying to stop crying. "It's over."

"Did he break up with you?" Kamio demanded, feeling furious. _Had_ Inui really been using his best friend?

"No. I broke up with him." Shinji stared down at his hands.

"But…you were so happy with him…." Kamio was thoroughly confused. "I think you better back up and tell me what happened."

Shinji shifted so he was leaning back against Kamio's pillows. "He's been lying to me. For at least a week, maybe longer. He's been meeting someone in our spot, and lying to me about it."

"Shinji…how do you know this?" Kamio was barely clinging to his temper.

"I saw him." Shinji's voice sounded as dead as his eyes had looked. "That day we got out early, I saw him…and he sent the other person away, and when I went over, he said he had just gotten there and it was a _lie_. I kept going back. I lied to you, and I'm sorry, but I needed to know, and they got closer, and then today…."

"Today? And don't worry about lying to me; I knew he was involved, somehow." Kamio moved closer to Shinji. "What happened today?"

"He…was on Inui. And then…they kissed…." Shinji's voice broke, and he turned away from Kamio. "And he couldn't give a good reason _why_! Maybe I could've forgiven him, if I just knew why." He drew in a shuddering breath. "If he didn't want me anymore, why didn't he just tell me?"

"Shinji…." Unable to bear seeing his best friend in so much pain, Kamio moved closer and wrapped his arms around Shinji.

Shinji let himself break then, not sobbing, but trembling like a leaf in a violent storm. In a voice laced with pain, he said, "How could he hurt me like that? I loved him, Akira—I still do, even after this." He sighed. "Why couldn't it have been you? At least I know you wouldn't have done this to me…."

"No, I wouldn't have." Kamio had never before wished that he was anything _but_ straight, but in that moment he did, if only so he could ease some of Shinji's pain. All he could do was just hold his friend.

"I just don't get it…how could he be kissing me, and be with that other guy, too? Was he thinking of_ him_ and not me? How long has this been going on?" Shinji pulled back from Kamio and looked at him. "I want to go to sleep, Akira. I want to sleep and forget all about this pain, and not wake up…."

"No!" Kamio jumped, truly alarmed. "I mean, yes, sleep right now, but wake up, please."

"I will." Shinji tried to smile, but it was a grim parody of one. "I won't let him take that from me, too." He blinked and yawned. "But I'm so tired, Akira…I want to sleep…."

"Then sleep, Shinji." Kamio moved and stretched Shinji out onto his bed, pulling a blanket up over him. "Go to sleep, and hopefully things will look better when you wake up."

"But I'll still be alone…and still be wanting him…." Shinji sighed and dozed off into a fitful sleep.

Kamio watched his friend sleep for a minute, then stood up, finally letting some of his temper surface. "Sleep. And while you do, I need to find a certain jackass and have a "chat" with him."

* * *

Inui was walking with little direction. All he knew that he wanted to do was find Shinji.

The first place he went was Shinji's house, but no one was home—at least, no one that was answering. From there, Inui went to Fudomine, the street courts, back to the park, just about anywhere he could think of Shinji going.

As he was heading back to Shinji's house to try again, Inui caught sight of a familiar redhead. _Maybe he knows where Shinji might've gone._ Not even thinking that Shinji might've gone to him first, Inui jogged until he had caught up with Kamio. "Kamio, do you—"

That was all Inui was able to get out before Kamio turned, eyes blazing and fists flying. "You _asshole_!" Kamio screamed as he landed punch after punch on Inui. "What the_ fuck_ do you think you were doing, playing with Shinji like that? He loves you, and you repay that with running around behind his back?"

Kamio was panting as he continued yelling, not even pausing for Inui to try and explain himself. "And now he's at my place and so upset and wanting to die or some shit because_ you_ had nothing better to do than play with his heart!" Kamio finally let up on Inui and backed off a little. "Before I tell you to go jump off a cliff and fuck yourself and any number of nasty things that you _completely_ deserve, at least tell me why? That's all he wants to know, and maybe if I can tell him, he can find some peace."

Inui hadn't even tried to dodge Kamio's blows, feeling that he had deserved every single one of them, and more. "Kamio…you may not believe me, but I _wasn't_ playing with Shinji. I love him, believe it or not, and I could _never _cheat on him with anyone."

"Then tell me why you were lying to Shinji. Tell me why you kissed someone else." Kamio crossed his arms across his chest and glared at Inui.

"It was a project for school." Inui resolved to just tell his story and hope for the best, fully aware that this may be the closest he could get to Shinji if he said something wrong. "It was a meteorology project, which involved watching the weather. We had to work with partners, and mine was Yanagi Renji. He was on the Rikkai team, and we've been friends almost since the day we were born. We'd…drifted apart some, but we're still close. Anyway, Renji wanted to know a good spot where we probably wouldn't be interrupted to do this project and I…I suggested Shinji's and my spot."

Inui sighed. "I should've told Shinji right then, but I didn't want to upset him by telling him that I had invited someone else into a spot that's always been special to us. If I had told him, maybe some of this could've been avoided, but I was afraid to."

Kamio nodded briefly. "That explains the lying and _maybe_ the touching…but not the kissing." His glare turned hotter. "This better be good."

"The kissing…it was Renji's idea. I should've said no, but…he said he needed…closure, I guess, for something that could never be. And I let him. I felt nothing…I wish I hadn't let him at all, because now it's cost me the best thing that's ever happened to me…." Inui was doing his best not to start crying again.

Kamio softened a little, but he tried his best not to show it. "You fucked up, Inui. You shouldn't have hidden things from Shinji."

"I know," Inui said miserably. "And believe me, I'm paying for it. I want him back, Kamio."

"And if he doesn't want you back?"

Inui seemed to collapse in on himself. "Then I'll respect Shinji's wishes," he said quietly. "But I would like the chance to explain myself to him in person before I walk away."

Kamio considered Inui for a minute. "He's miserable, right now. Shinji is miserable, and hurting and dying inside. And I _know_ that he does not want to see you right now. Go home. Don't try to talk to him yourself. I'll talk to Shinji later and let you know." He sighed. "I'm doing this against my better judgment, you know."

"Then why _are_ you doing this?" Inui was both grateful and puzzled. "You said it yourself. I…fucked up. I hurt your best friend."

"Because if it was a misunderstanding, Shinji needs to be able to make that decision himself. Besides…as miserable as you made him then, I really think he's ten times more miserable without you. And he's my best friend. If you're what makes him happy—though I don't see why—then I'm going to make sure that he's happy."

Kamio looked at his watch. "I better get back to him. I'll get your number from Shinji's phone. Don't call me. I'll contact you." He smiled a little at Inui. "If you do love Shinji, and he does love you, then the two of you'll make it work. If not, at least you tried, right?"

"Right." Inui nodded. "I…take care of him?"

"He's my best friend." Kamio sounded indignant. "Of course I will." He turned and ran for home.

Inui had to force himself to not follow Kamio back to where he knew Shinji was right then, instead, dragging himself back to his apartment. But, he was feeling something much different than he was before. The hurt, the pain, the desolation was still there, but there was something else, now, too.

Inui was feeling hope.

--The End--


	27. Want

Want

Theme: #27. overflow

Disclaimers on part 1.

Rating: R

* * *

Inui was trying to focus on other things, he really was.

After getting home from his talk with Kamio, Inui realized that he needed to think about something, _anything_ other than what had happened that day. He felt that if he kept dwelling on it, he'd go mad, and since there was really nothing he could do until he heard from Kamio, Inui tried to find a distraction.

First, he tried a hot shower—Kamio's punches had really hurt, even if he hadn't felt them at the time. But as he stood in the water, all he could think about was Shinji's face on the day they spent by the ocean, the kisses they had shared by the water's edge. Water and Shinji were so interconnected in his mind there that Inui found himself cutting his shower short because he had forgotten his original purpose for it.

Then, he tried to study. Inui had a test coming up, and surely there was nothing more un-Shinji-like than biochemistry. But then Inui's mind started drifting to the chemistry that happened between him and Shinji when they were together, and before he knew it, Inui was seeing Shinji's eyes on the pages in front of him.

Slamming his book shut, Inui went over to his computer. Data…data was his lifeblood, his mainstay, his anchor in a world of uncertainty. Surely, his figures would help him tune everything out and let him _focus_.

Sadly, though, that was not the case. Shinji was even in Inui's data, sometimes literally, but more often in Inui's head, where he could hear all the comments that Shinji had ever made about his data and data-collecting.

With a sigh, Inui gave up and collapsed back on his bed, letting his mind go where it willed.

_If I look at this logically, this is really melodramatic of me. Civilization will not end just because my heart is breaking. There are problems that are greater than my own. Life goes on. I **know** that. But then…why does it **feel** like the world should be stopping? One bad thing happens to me, and suddenly I become…a typical teenager. _

Inui had to laugh some as he rolled onto his side, hoping that the wall would give him a different perspective than the ceiling had. _It's not like we haven't fought before. We've had plenty of arguments. Although…he's never left me, before now. He's never had a reason to doubt me or my sincerity, and I never wanted to give him one. But I did, handed it to him on a silver platter. I want to be furious with Renji, blame him…but it's my fault, too. If I had told Shinji what was going on, he would've never had to wonder and suspect and be hurt to the point where it really did seem like I had betrayed him. _

Sighing, Inui stood and walked over to his window, looking out towards where Shinji was at that moment, and leaned his forehead on the cool glass, wishing it was Shinji that he was touching at that moment. "Shinji…I love you. I never meant to hurt you. And I'll do anything in my power to get you back with me again."

* * *

Shinji finally uncurled himself from his miserable ball on Kamio's bed. He knew that his friend had gone out, come back in, and left again, but Shinji didn't care. He knew that he should be home, that unless Kamio had covered for him, his mother was probably worried sick, but again, he didn't care.

Everything seemed…dull to him. Without life or spark or flavor. And it was all because he didn't have Inui.

_Why is this hurting me so much? If Sadaharu did betray me, shouldn't I feel **better** not having him in my life anymore? Shouldn't I be **glad** that he's not here with me right now? I don't need that kind of treatment…I deserve better than that..._

Shinji dragged himself out of bed and started pacing, seemingly not caring if he wore a hole in Kamio's rug. _I should be…but I'm not. I love him, I know I do, and right now…I think I'd rather see him running around with ten different people, as long as one of those people was me. That might be stupid of me, but it's true. I didn't realize how **happy** I was with him until now. He made my life worth living, and that's silly and melodramatic. I shouldn't **need** someone just to feel alive…but he did make me feel alive and I can't deny it. Nothing in my life made me feel better than he did, and nothing else seems worth being here for, and I **hate** that I feel that way..._

He paused in his pacing to study himself in Kamio's mirror. _ Maybe…I shouldn't have done what I did. He seemed to want to talk…what would've happened if I had let him talk to me? Could it be possible that I wouldn't be feeling this miserable right now? Maybe…maybe I'd be with him…or well, maybe not, because I am still a little mad at him, but maybe we'd still be **together** if not together. I want to know what happened, what he was doing, why they kissed…maybe I should see him again. And then I'll forget all about being angry and let him back into me, and what will happen if this happens again? I want to spend my life with Sadaharu, I know that. But can I spend it like this?_

Shinji glared at his reflection in the mirror. "Stop looking at me like that," he told it. "I did the same thing you would have done, and so what if I am regretting it now? It doesn't change that he lied to me, and how good is a relationship where the other person has to lie and hide? All I want is…all I want…."

Shinji sighed and bowed his head, admitting defeat to himself. "All I want is Sadaharu back. I want him back, and I have no idea what to do about it, no idea if he even wants me back. If he doesn't…it might kill me."

Sighing again, Shinji walked over to his window, looking out towards where Inui was at that moment, and leaned his forehead on the cool glass, wishing it was Inui that he was touching at that moment. "Sadaharu…I love you. I wish I hadn't said those things to you. And…maybe you don't want me anymore, but I have to try, somehow. I'll do anything in my power to get you back with me again."

--The End--


	28. Love

Love

Theme: #2. news; letter

Disclaimers are on part 1

Rating: R

* * *

When Inui heard from Kamio, it was in a completely unexpected manner.

He had been expecting—been _hoping_--for a phone call the night before. Not having received that, Inui went through his school day, feeling like he was being tortured. Nothing seemed to penetrate, and his teachers, sensing that there was something bigger going on, didn't press Inui. Even Renji stayed away from him after apologizing again in the morning, knowing that this was something that Inui had to get through on his own.

As school let out, Inui was resigning himself to a long, lonely afternoon, when he heard someone call his name. Pausing, he heard it again.

"Inui! Don't you _dare_ ignore me, you moron! After all that I'm doing for you…."

Inui turned around to see Kamio weave though the students and come to a halt in front of him. "Kamio…shouldn't you be at practice?"

"I told them that I had important team business." Kamio pulled Inui out of the flow of traffic, and Inui let him, unresisting.

"More lies? Hasn't there been enough of those?"

"Who's lying?" Kamio's eyes flashed at Inui. "Shinji_ is_ team business. He's miserable, and it's bringing everyone down. If he _stops_ being miserable, then the problem will be solved."

"He…is?" Inui frowned and looked down. "That's my fault."

"Yes it is. Completely. But I'm not here for that. I'm here to give you this." Kamio thrust an envelope into Inui's hands.

Inui started at it. "What…?"

"It's from Shinji. Just read it." Kamio shook his head and walked away from Inui. "Hopeless. You two are really hopeless. I swear, I think that you two deserve each other…."

Inui gazed at the envelope, his hands shaking. His instinct was to tear it open then and there, but caution stayed his hand. If the letter said something that Inui did not want to see, he didn't want to risk having his emotions on public display. So, gripping the letter tightly, Inui ran for home as fast as he could.

* * *

Once home and shut in his room, Inui sat on his bed, staring at the envelope, but not quite able to bring himself to open it._ If it says that he doesn't want me, I don't know if I can handle it…. _

Still, Inui knew that just sitting and staring wasn't going to answer any of his questions. So, with a shaky breath, Inui tore the envelope open and drew out the paper within, as prepared as he was going to be to read the words Shinji had written.

_Dear, Sadaharu,_

_I wish that I hadn't stopped calling you that. I saw how much it hurt you, but I was glad for it then, and that was petty and mean of me. I don't like being petty, and I don't like hurting you._

_**Are** you hurting right now, Sadaharu? Akira seems to think so, but he's not always the best judge, but I'll take his word for it anyway. I have to wonder if you're hurting half as much as I am right now._

_Yes, I am hurting. It seems strange to say that, since I was the one that broke up with you, and you were the one that hid things from me. But I do hurt. It's like there's a hole in my soul without you there, and it aches and throbs and **burns** and I can't ignore it. Almost from the moment I walked away from you it started, and it gets worse and worse every minute._

_You might be laughing at me right now. I know I sound dramatic and maybe even insincere, but I'm not. Even after all of that, even with the pain and the hurt that I still feel about your hiding things from me, I hurt more for losing you. I need you in my life, Sadaharu, need you like I've never needed anything before in my life._

_I love you, Sadaharu. I have for awhile now, and maybe if I had just **told** you, a lot of this could've been avoided. I was afraid it was too soon to tell you back when I realized it, and now I'm afraid that it's too late. But I have to. I love you, and I don't want to lose you. I'd do anything, even let you be with someone else if that made you happy._

_I also want to know why, and I want to know what happened there to have caused this. I want to know what I did that made you think that you couldn't tell me something. I want to fix things between us…or, if you **don't** want me anymore, to at least have some closure._

_There's not much more that I can say to you right here. Please meet me tomorrow after school at **our** spot. I want to talk to you, try to fix this…or at least kiss you one last time before we say goodbye if that's your choice._

_Love always,_

_Shinji. _

Inui read the letter three times over, letting Shinji's words sink into him. "He loves me…I love him…what if we had just _told_ each other to begin with? I…."

Inui sighed, then kissed the letter, wishing that it was Shinji's lips that he was kissing. "I only want you, and I will _not_ say goodbye to you. Shinji…tomorrow we're going to start over and do it _right_.

--The End--


	29. Reunion

Reunion

Theme: #3. jolt!

Disclaimers on part 1

Rating: R

* * *

Shinji arrived at the meeting spot first.

He was pacing back and forth, ignoring the bench that was there, except to occasionally glare at it like everything that had happened was the bench's fault. In any case, though, there was no way that he'd be sitting down anytime soon. He was too nervous, and too afraid.

He knew that Inui had gotten his letter. Kamio had said that he handed it to Inui personally. Of course, even knowing that, Shinji had no guarantee that Inui had actually _read_ the thing. _I wouldn't be surprised if he just tossed it…I was so cruel to him. Why should he **want** to see me right now? Why should he want me back? What if this was just a mistake?_

Shinji was so busy worrying and pacing that he didn't see Inui approach, and Inui was happy about that, just wanting to drink in the sight of Shinji. He had been so sure just a day ago that he would never see Shinji this close again, unless by chance, that he was loathe to give up the sight so soon.

If he hadn't already known it before, the knowledge that he loved Shinji struck him fresh, like a bolt of electricity jolting and coursing through his veins. Inui could clearly see the worry and fear etched on Shinji's features, and resolved then and there to do what he could to ease Shinji's mind. Stepping forward then, he said, "Shinji?"

Shinji jumped and whirled. "You came." The relief was clear in his voice.

"Of course I did." Inui moved closer to Shinji. "How could I not?"

"I thought you would hate me, honestly. After what I said…."

Inui shook his head. "I hurt you first, by the lying. You had no reason to believe anything but your own eyes."

Shinji looked down, then up again. "Akira told me what you told him. He thinks it was the truth."

"It was. Nothing but." Inui came a little closer, stopping within arms reach of Shinji. "I was an idiot, Shinji. I admit that. I hurt you…I hurt the person that I…." Inui swallowed, then forged ahead. "That I love."

"L…love?" Shinji's eyes widened. "You _love_ me?"

"Yes, Shinji. I do. And it hurts me so much to have hurt you…I don't know if you can forgive me, or even if I deserve to be forgiven."

"Sadaharu…." Shinji was trembling some. "I…I think I forgave you that night. I decided then that I could share you, if it meant just _having_ you in my life. And when Akira told me what you told him…I hated myself. If I had just _listened_--"

"I'm not blameless in this, myself," Inui interrupted him, unable to restrain himself any longer and pulling Shinji close. "If I had told you what was happening from the beginning, then we might not be here now."

"But I should have trusted you." Shinji's head rested on Inui's shoulder as he relaxed into the hug. "I love you…so I should have trusted you."

Inui pulled back just enough so that he could look into Shinji's face. "I love you, too. _Just_ you. Renji is an old friend, but I didn't want to kiss him. I felt nothing when he kissed me. You are the only one that I want to feel against me. And…if you can forgive me…I'd like very much to be your boyfriend again. If you'll have me."

"If?" Shinji's eyes were shining. "There's no one else for me, Sadaharu. No one. Of course I want you back. I want to be your boyfriend…I want to be _yours_."

Inui had to laugh. "You know, we should've had this talk _before_ all the confusion."

"I know." Shinji just smiled at him. "But at least we're together now to have it."

Looking back, Inui wasn't sure just who made the first move. All he knew was that one minute he was looking into Shinji's eyes, and the next his lips were against Shinji's and they were kissing urgently, like they needed each other's lips in the same way that they needed oxygen to breathe.

Shinji was clinging to Inui as their lips and tongues pressed and tangled together. He was breathless, panting for breath as their mouths pulled apart, then came back together like magnets. All he knew was how much he had missed this, how much he _needed _this, and how right it felt.

Inui moaned softly as Shinji's body molded to his. He finally tore his lips away from Shinji's only to scatter kisses across Shinji's face, not wanting to give up the contact. "Love you," he panted, just holding Shinji close,

"I love you, too." Shinji was shaking as he rested against Inui. "I thought I'd never feel this way again. I never want to be without this feeling again."

"You won't be, not as long as I have anything to say about it," Inui vowed, meaning it with every bit of his being. He knew they were young, that so much could happen…but Inui really felt as if he had found the one for him, and, having nearly lost Shinji once, he wasn't about to let him go again. Ever, if he could help it.

Eventually, in the midst of more kissing, touching, and whispered words, Inui and Shinji found themselves almost sprawled across their bench. Shinji chuckled as he said, "I guess we owe this spot a lot, after all."

"If I could build a shrine here, I would." Inui smiled and ran a hand through Shinji's hair, feeling at peace with the world. "But at least we know how important it is."

"That's good enough for me." Shinji stretched, then looked at his watch. "I have to go home…." He sounded reluctant to part from Inui.

Inui's eyes drank in Shinji's form as his mind registered Shinji's words. "Can I walk you home?"

Shinji smiled. "And history repeats itself?"

"Not at all." Inui grinned. "For one, I don't think that I have to trick you into kissing me."

Shinji laughed. "No. You definitely don't. Does that mean the dating is over?"

"Of course not! In fact, I want to take you out this weekend, if you'll allow it."

"That sounds wonderful to me." Shinji pulled Inui up off the bench so that they could start their walk home. "Sadaharu?"

"Yes, Shinji?"

"Can we never break up again? Even if the making up is nice…I don't ever want to go through this again."

Inui wrapped an arm around Shinji's shoulders and pulled him closer as he replied, "Never. I'm never letting you go again, Shinji."

--The End--


	30. Eternity

Eternity

Theme: #30. kiss

Disclaimers on part 1.

Rating: PG-13. Just making out is shown. If you want the NC-17 version, find the master list at http:// lilly-scribbles . livejournal . com

* * *

Their first date after the breakup and reunion was everything that their official first date wasn't. Inui worked very hard to make it that way.

First, they had dinner at a place that had an established menu, and therefore neither of them could challenge or experiment. Dinner, Inui thought, had been wonderful, even if they _had_ been getting a few strange stares when they started feeding each other dessert.

They had decided to see a movie again, and Shinji, letting his wicked streak free, had deliberately chosen a show that neither of them had any interest whatsoever in seeing. When Inui questioned Shinji's decision, Shinji grinned and said, "Well, this way we don't have to worry about missing something good, now do we?"

It was amazing how quickly Inui wanted to attend that particular movie after that.

Neither of them saw a bit of the movie. They spent the entire show curled up in the back corner of the theater entangled in each other, all roving hands and lips. Inui later decided that Shinji just _had_ to have some weird effect on time, because he swore that only seconds had passed between their first kiss there and the credits rolling.

But the house lights were coming up, and Shinji reluctantly pulled away from Inui, trying to smooth his hair and clothes into some sort of order fit to be seen in public. Inui, watching him, was suddenly filled anew with heat and desire. "Shinji?"

"Mmmmm…yes, Sadaharu?" Shinji looked up at Inui, his eyes still wide and glazed, and Inui's resolve both shattered and hardened at once.

"Come home with me?"

Shinji's eyes and voice were steady as he replied, "Yes, Sadaharu."

Inui blinked, not having expecting it to be this simple. "You know that no one's home at my place, right?"

"You mentioned that fact earlier."

"And…you know that once I get you up there, I'm going to start kissing you again."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

"And we'd eventually end up in my bedroom."

"I've seen it. It's a very nice room, Sadaharu. Spending time in there isn't a chore."

Inui swallowed. "And…in my bed…."

"Sadaharu." Shinji laid a hand on Inui's arm. "I'm not stupid or naive. I _know_ what will happen if I go there with you tonight. I know what will happen if I go into your room with you, and into your bed." He took a deep breath. "And I want it."

"You…you do?" Inui's eyes widened. "You're ready? But…I thought it scared you, and…."

"It still does, a little. But it always will unless I…just _do_ it. And there's no one else I want to be with more than you. No one else that I trust more than you." Shinji smiled. "I want to, and I want you. If you want me still, that is. I mean, I can understand if you don't. I really don't know how it's done, or if I'll be any good, and I don't want to disappoint you—"

Inui stood and hauled Shinji up out of his seat, cutting off the forming ramble. "It's not like I'm an expert, you know. As long as it's us, it'll be good. You could never disappoint me."

Shinji grinned and pressed himself against Inui, rubbing their bodies together. "Then what are we waiting for, Sadaharu?"

"What, indeed?" Returning the grin, Inui pulled Shinji out of the theater and towards his home.

* * *

Shinji was fine on the walk back to Inui's. He was fine in the elevator and fine as they went through the apartment. However, once they were in Inui's room with the door closed behind them, his nerves came creeping back.

Inui noticed the change on Shinji's expression. "Shinji…you know I won't think any less of you if you don't want to."

"I do want to! I just…I don't know what to do now." Shinji looked very embarrassed as he admitted that.

Inui smiled. "I really don't, either. I think we just do what feels right to us, and go from there. Like…kissing you right now would feel very right to me."

"To me, too," Shinji admitted with a smile.

"Well, then." Inui pulled Shinji into his arms and began to very thoroughly kiss him.

It was Shinji who pulled Inui down onto the bed, much to Inui's surprise, though he wasn't complaining about the development whatsoever. He moved so that he was lying on his back with Shinji draped over him, so Inui could run his hands up Shinji's shirt and over his bare back….

After, it took Inui a minute before he roused himself long enough to toss the condom in the trash by his bed, before rolling onto his side and pulling Shinji into his arms and nuzzling him. "Well? How are you feeling?"

"Very relaxed." Shinji stretched, then winced a little. "And sore. But happy. Ecstatic, even." He smiled up at Inui. "I don't regret a thing."

"Good. Because I enjoyed this too much to feel bad about it." Inui smiled back at Shinji. "You really are amazing, you know."

"_I _am?" Shinji shook his head. "No, Sadaharu, that's you. And I love you so much for it."

"Not as much as I love you." Inui leaned in and captured Shinji's lips in a long, slow kiss. "And I don't care what happens. I'm not letting you go again. Well, go far," he amended. "I want you always to end up right back here, though."

"That sounds perfect to me." Shinji snuggled closer to Inui. They lay there for a few minutes in silence, until Shinji spoke up again. "So, Sadaharu…what happens next?"

"Why, Shinji, don't you know?" Inui grinned and kissed Shinji again. "We live happily ever after, of course."

**--The End--**

And…that's it! The end of this trip with Inui, Shinji, and the drama with it. I would like to give a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed this.

So. I hope that you enjoyed it all as much as I enjoyed writing it. Will I be doing anything more with them? I do not know just yet, but if I do, I'll post it :)


End file.
